


Aicaya

by CurryFury13



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU, Big Bang Challenge, F/M, M/M, Mild Language, Organization XIII (Kingdom Hearts), Pirates, Siblings, Sirens, Soriku - Freeform, Two Clueless Boys in Love, family matters, mermaid au, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 31,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22351459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurryFury13/pseuds/CurryFury13
Summary: On a remote seaside town of Dorhaven, lives a trio of siblings that manage a floral shop after the sudden disappearance of their parents. Unspoken thoughts and feelings drift them apart, making things tense and more rigid than the icy weather that swirls over the desolate beach. They know nothing about the outside world, or the world beneath the waves. But then when a creature from below washes ashore, they start to learn more about the world beyond their shores.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Sephiroth, Sora/Riku
Comments: 103
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Warm hues of orange and reds swirled in the sky as the sun was beginning to set. A golden glow cast over the town of Dorhaven, the once bustling streets nearly emptied as all the shops were closing up for the day; spare for the local pub that thrived for the night hours to share laughter and local music throughout the evening for all the sailors coming in for a warm meal. A certain floral shop was right around the corner from the popular pub, and often heard the echoes of the music resonating through their walls as the owners organized after a long day of work.

One of the owners was a young man, barely the age of seventeen. His silver hair reached past his shoulders, tied back while he swept the long aisles between the colorful array of flowers. He paused beside the window, leaning against the wood of the broom as he gazed outside. His bright, aqua eyes spotted the ocean in the distance, shimmering against the horizon as the sun set beyond it. 

“Riku,” a low voice caused him to tense as he looked over to see his older brother eyeing him with a stern glower in his gaze. “Have you finished?”

Riku let out a breath, giving one last look out the window before he went back to his work. “I was just taking a second to rest. I’m almost done.” His voice was short, barely hiding the irritation.

“They’ll be time to rest after we lock the door.” His brother reminded him, making Riku’s hands tighten around the broom.

“Yeah, yeah,” Riku muttered, keeping his eyes downcast.

“Sephiroth,” Riku’s younger sister opened the back door that led to the back garden. Her golden blonde hair was braided over her shoulder, complementing the soft blue of her eyes as she looked between her brothers, before focusing on the oldest. “I finished taking inventory, and… I believe we’re missing a few tomatoes.”

Sephiroth held out his hand, having no reaction as his sister handed him the clipboard of information. “Thank you, Namine.” He simply replied, turning and heading to the back garden without another word.

Riku let out a breath of relief once the door closed behind him, leaning the broom against the wall and crossing his arms. “You think those kids are stealing again?”

“It’s possible,” Namine sighed, clasping her hands in front of her faded green apron. “I also spotted a rabbit, so it’s possible the animals are eating them.”

A soft hum was all that Riku gave in reply as he moved to put away the broom. His eyes remained downcast, his lips curved into a frown as he walked. He could feel Namine’s gaze on him, even as he shut and locked the storage closet.

“What?” He asked, barely glancing over his shoulder at her.

She looked away, her fingers fidgeting as she went over to a bouquet of lilies. “It’s nothing… I just realized something.”

Riku waited for her to clarify, but when she didn’t he turned around to face her, leaning back against the door with his arms crossed. “Realized what?”

Her thin brows furrowed as she almost seemed to wonder if it was worth saying. “I realized I haven’t seen you smile since--” she paused, her voice quieting down to a near whisper “well, before mom and dad left.”

A tightness gripped Riku’s chest from the mention, but he didn’t let it show any effect on his face as he merely blinked, looking towards the shimmering ocean through the window. “Yeah…” He muttered, a melancholy silence rising between them. Clearing his throat, he pushed himself off the door and went to the front desk to grab a ring of keys. “I’m going to head back home.”

Namine darted her eyes to him, before she slowly nodded. “It’s your turn for dinner tonight, right?”

He nodded, “Yeah, might as well get started.” He stuffed the keys in his pocket before he pulled off the dulled green apron and hung it over the metal hook beside the entrance. “See you at home, Nams.”

“Be safe.” She smiled as he glanced back at her, raising her hand with a small wave.

A golden bell chimed as he opened the glass paned door, sending her a wave in return before he was gone. Cool night wind brushed past him the moment he was outside, carrying the sweet scents of the garden surrounding the shop. Riku paused at the picket fence, scanning his eyes over the vines and plants nearly covering the familiar shop. Even with all the warm, inviting colors, it was empty. It was as if the plants themselves knew that their original caretaker was gone. Or perhaps Riku was simply imagining it as a sort of unspoken companionship that he wasn’t the only one that felt how desolate the shop was.

Darting his eyes away, he turned and pushed open the gate, allowing it to swing closed behind him. His hands dug into his pockets, shielding themselves from the breeze that grew colder by the second. It was always cold in Dorhaven. One would think that living beside an ocean would bring warmth, instead, it brought harsh winds, storms, and chills that would make even the largest fires seemingly useless against them. 

Riku hated the cold. He hated the way it caused him to shiver, how there were never enough clothes or blankets to shield himself from the frigid wind. Just once, he wished he could feel the true warmth of the sun. 

The rolling sound of waves crashing against the shore brought him out of his thoughts. He had left the marketplace behind, only the endless ocean and sand before him. There was a shorter path back to his home if he were to cut through the alleyways and behind shops as his older brother often instructed him to do, but there was something about the ocean that calmed him. Walking along the shore, it was the only time where he could think freely, allowing his mind to wander and recall all the stories he heard from sailors when he’d make deliveries to the local pub. 

There was so much out there. Stories untold and adventures just waiting to be discovered. Someday… Perhaps someday he’d get to find them for himself. The hopes of that had been much higher when his parents were still around. Ever since they had left on their boat and never returned all those months ago… the reality settled in that Riku might never get that chance. 

He swallowed hard, pushing away the reminder of reality as he walked along the shore, stopping shortly to slip off his shoes and feel the sand between his toes. The foam of the waves lapped against his feet, tiny, shimmering shells being left in the dampened sand as the water receded for another wave. Riku bent over and picked up a chipped sand dollar, looking it over before slipping it into his pocket to later add to his and Namine’s growing collection along the windowsill in their shared room. 

The last few rays of sunlight peeked over the ocean’s horizon, the warm hues of sunset darkening as the glistening stars became visible in the sky. Riku looked up at them, watching as more and more of them appeared, before a sudden splash of water grabbed his attention. 

He looked forward, seeing the abandoned pier not far off. Splintered pieces of wood and fishing nets riddled the once lively walkway over the ocean. It was a sight Riku saw almost daily, and occasionally would spend time under it to get some time to himself. This time though… there was something, or someone, underneath it instead. 

His eyes narrowed, the figure shadowed under the pier, but was no doubt struggling as they writhed and wriggled against the sandy rocks.

“H-Hey!” He called out, quickening his pace, “Hey, are you alright?”

Whatever it was that was under the pier whimpered something in reply, the voice and words unfamiliar to Riku, but he didn’t stop as he broke into a run. 

“Hold on! I’m almost there,” he assured them, sprinting and nearly slipping in the sand.

As he neared the rocks beside the pier, he slowed to climb over, finally able to take in details about the stranger. Their brown hair was spiked, tangled with seaweed and plants from the sea, yet it almost seemed to be a part of them, rather than a mess. Widened, brilliant blue eyes stared back at him, an unnatural glow in them that kept Riku from being able to look away. His mouth hung open in shock, before he shook his head, breaking the spell and noticing the translucent fins fluttering nervously along its pale neck and arms. 

Whoever they were, they weren’t human. 

His eyes drifted further down their pale body, silver and blue scales catching his eyes. They were scattered across the creature’s torso and chest, before forming a long, graceful tail that was wrapped up and caught in a fisherman’s trap. 

Closing his mouth, he swallowed to coat his dry throat. “I-I’m not going to hurt you,” he assured them, his voice shaking until he cleared his throat. “Just trying to get you out.

He brought his gaze back to the creature’s, his breath catching at the blue of their eyes once again enticing him to get lost in them. His heart throbbed in his chest, feeling exposed and entranced by the full, innocent look in their eyes. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the creature had him under some sort of spell. 

Shutting his eyes, he looked away before reopening and focusing on climbing over the rocks to get to the creature’s level. It scrambled as he came closer, sand and small rocks flying in the air until Riku reached their side. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small pocket knife that he often used in the shop to cut the stems of bouquets. Never in his life did he think he would use it to set a Siren free.

That’s what he assumed it was, anyways. A half fish, half human creature that had the voice of an angel. Only there to entice weak men and drag them into the sea. Riku glanced back at them, the Siren’s eyes worriedly darting every which way as they whimpered and desperately tried to shake free from the trap. Whoever they were, they didn’t seem as if they would even consider dragging Riku to the bottom of the sea. Something told Riku there wasn’t a malicious bone in their body. 

He drew his gaze to the tail. Thick, braided rope was tangled in its long, translucent tail fins, tightening with every whip of their tail and rubbing against the scales. Riku grabbed the rope, yelping as he stumbled forward from the Siren’s resistance. 

“It’s okay!” He spoke firmly, wrapping his arms around their tail to keep himself steady, his eyes focused back on theirs. “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you… I promise. Alright?”

The Siren blinked rapidly, their shoulders slumping as they looked at the rope and metal trap tangled in their tail. Taking in a breath, they looked away, a soft whimper coming up their throat that made Riku’s heart sink.

“Try to stay calm.” Riku spoke softly, repeating the same words in his mind like a mantra as he went to sawing away at the rope.

As he worked, he allowed his eyes to drift over the tail of the creature. It was an array of blues and silvers, glittering with each subtle movement. The fins were long and graceful, the slightest bit translucent, just enough to capture the moon’s rays as if they were made of stained glass.

His admiration was cut short as the rope snapped. He barely jumped back in time as the Siren scrambled back, splashing back into the sea and leaving the thinnest trail of dark blue liquid that dispersed in the water. Riku let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, covered in sand and salty water with a severed rope in his lap. He certainly would have looked odd to any onlooker, but he instead sat there in shock, questioning if he really had just seen the creature at all.

He didn’t have to question long as violent splashing shook him out of his daze. Looking up, he saw the Siren flopping and whipping its tail, unable to gain the momentum to head further out to sea. Their arms swung wildly, finally clinging to a large rock jutting out of the ocean, crying out to the horizon, as if trying to call someone to them. The language was unfamiliar to Riku, but calmed his racing heart with how beautiful it sounded. It rang like a bell, flowed with the eloquence and melody of a song long forgotten. Even with the desperation in their voice, Riku couldn’t help the fleeting thought of how he could listen to them speak for a lifetime. 

Shaking his head, he darted his eyes back towards the town, noticing windows illuminating with light as the townsfolk heard the voice. He whipped his attention back to the Siren. If anyone caught sight of them -- particularly the fishermen or the rare pirate… Well, Riku didn’t want to imagine what they’d do to them. 

“Hey, Hey!” Riku called out to them, scrambling forward and wading through the waves towards them. “You’re going to get yourself caught!”

The Siren disregarded his words, as if they didn’t understand anything he was saying. Riku whipped his head around when he heard clamoring from the town, people beginning to gather along the edge of their homes, moments away from seeing the creature. Darting his gaze between the town and the Siren, he jumped forward, wrapping his arms around the creature and falling back. The Siren wriggled and writhed in his arms, its tail thrashing wildly, as Riku was shoved under the water. He gasped as he forced them up for air, pulling the Siren back to the cover of the pier. 

The Siren struggled in his arms, until Riku plopped them back on the rocky sand. A slew of words slipped out of it, its eyes widened with fright until Riku put his hand over their mouth, muffling their voice. He put a finger to his lips, his eyes locked with the Siren. Riku could feel their pounding heart, matching the racing pace of his own. Both of their chests heaved, the Siren taking deep breaths as their tail went limp. Their widened eyes danced over Riku, softening with an understanding as they nodded their head. Riku breathed out in relief, the softest smile curving his lips as he removed his hand from their mouth. 

The thud of footsteps against the pier above them caused both of them to look up. Riku could hear the murmuring of the villagers, each of them asking the other if they had actually seen anything and what they had heard. As they discussed it, Riku drifted his gaze back to the creature. There was something about them, something that shifted a part of Riku’s heart, even though he couldn’t begin to explain what it was. He didn’t know anything about them… but he knew that he had to protect them. 

Their eyes met when the Siren brought their gaze back down from the pier as the townsfolk gave up their search and returned to their homes. Riku breathed out, his heart still pounding, even as the threat of potential danger had passed. The creature’s head tilted just a little to the side, then to the other, studying Riku as he stared back at them. 

Riku swallowed, feeling himself getting lost in their eyes again. Clearing his throat, he averted his gaze, trying to make sense of what he had just done. He could have walked away, ignored the creature’s pleas. According to the local fishermen, Sirens were predatory creatures, cursed and filled with darkness. Looking at this one though, Riku couldn’t imagine that tall tale being true. Letting out a shaky breath, he glanced back at the creature, noticing them still studying him. 

“Are… Are you alright…?” He asked.

The Siren blinked, as if they were desperately trying to figure out what he was saying. It should have been obvious to Riku, since crossing paths with the creature, they hadn’t spoken a lick of English. Sitting up, Riku chewed the inside of his cheek, trying to think of how to communicate properly.

“Um…” He met his eyes back with the creature, placing his hand over his heart. “I’m… Riku.” Patting his hand over his chest again, he repeated, “Riku.”

The Siren paused, their eyes drifting downwards towards Riku’s hand along his chest. “Ri---ku…” They repeated, their voice soft, masculine, and still ringing like a song that made Riku’s heart stutter to hear his own name.

Clearing his throat, his heart skipping as it started again, a warmth creeping up his ears. “Y-Yeah, I’m Riku.”

The Siren looked back up to him, a smile tipping the corner of their lips as they matched Riku’s gesture and patted their hand along their chest. “Sora.”

“Sora,” Riku repeated, the name sending a pulse of warmth through his chest that caused his lips to match Sora’s smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Sora.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Namine hummed a soft melody as she walked between the aisles of flowers, spraying them with a mist of water as Sephiroth checked things out back. The shop was silent, empty, her song the only sound besides her soft footsteps, until the front door burst open. She gasped, spinning on her heel; the mist from the hose in her grasp sprayed in front of her and over Riku as he rushed towards her. 

She scrambled back in shock, her blue eyes frantically looking him over. He was soaked, caked with sand and bits of seaweed. “R-Riku! What happened to you? Are you--”

“I found a Siren.” RIku interrupted her, his voice shaking.

Her eyes widened, her heart stopping. “What?” Shaking her head, she stammered, “B-But that’s impossible. Sirens don’t--”

“I know what I saw,” Riku interrupted again, pacing away, his hands running over his arms. “They were washed up on shore under that destroyed pier. Their tail stuck in some trap, and I -- I got them out, but they can’t swim.” He breathily laughed in disbelief, “I don’t know what to do, but I can’t just leave them there. What if someone finds them? What’s going to happen to them?”

“Okay, okay,” Namine hurriedly put away the hose, before pressing her palms together as she approached Riku. “Let's say -- you actually saw this creature…” Her voice trailed off, her eyes sliding shut as she took in and released a breath. “What do you need me to do?”

Riku paused, turning to look back at her to see a small, reassuring smile on her lips. He returned the smile, letting out a breath. “You’ve been studying nursing.”

She blinked rapidly, “W-Well yes, but for people. I -- Well I don’t even know what a Siren looks like.”

“Nams,” Riku gripped her shoulders, waiting until she looked up at him before he continued. “You’re the only one I know that can help them. Please…”

She swallowed, the corner of her lips twitching into a frown. Letting out a long breath, she nodded. “Alright… Let me grab my kit.”

“Thank you,” Riku released her shoulders, allowing her to walk past him towards the front desk of the shop. He ran his fingers through his hair, his heart still pounding and racing in his chest from the whole ordeal. 

“What should we tell Sephiroth?” Namine asked, a white boxed first aid kit in her arms.

Riku shook his head, “Nothing. He wouldn’t want us to help.” Glancing back at Namine, he nodded shortly. “Come on.”

She watched him leave, taking one glance back towards the garden out back where Sephiroth was still checking inventory. Sighing, she turned back around and followed after Riku. 

The night was frigid, more than usual as Namine shivered against the wind, keeping her pace just behind Riku as he led the way. Riku glanced over his shoulder at her, making sure she was keeping up until they reached the shore line. 

“This way,” he waved towards the pier, quickening his pace and dearly hoping that Sora was still there. 

“I see someone there…” Namine noted, seeing the silhouette under the destroyed pier. “Is that them?”

“Yeah,” Riku called back, pausing to let her catch up to him before he continued. “Their name is Sora… I think it’s a he… But, I don’t know a lot of Sirens to really tell.”

Namine wordlessly nodded, unsure how to really respond until she stopped at the jutted rocks that led under the pier. Her breath hitched in her throat, seeing the creature lying along the sand, their lacerated tail swaying under the waves, oozing thick, blue liquid. Riku placed his hand along her arm, bringing her gaze to his as he nodded and sent a reassuring smile. 

When she returned a strained smile, he went forward, kneeling by Sora’s side. Sora looked between Riku and Namine, their eyes studying her before looking to Riku as if to make sure she was safe.

“She’ll help your tail.” Riku assured them, fully knowing that Sora couldn’t understand a word he said.

“Y-Yes,” Namine stammered, her voice cracking as she forced her feet forward and knelt beside their tail. “I’m Namine.”

“Put your hand over your heart,” Riku told her. “That’s the only way they’ll know it’s your name.”

“Oh,” she realized, clearing her throat and meeting her eyes with Sora’s as she placed her hand back over her heart. “I’m Namine.”

Sora’s lips curved into a smile as they nodded. “Na-mi-nay….?”

Namine couldn’t help but grin, a soft, breathy laugh escaping her. “Something like that.”

Riku chuckled, before bringing his attention to her medical bag. “What can I do?”

“I’m… not sure,” she admitted, clicking open the bag and perusing the contents. “Even if we bandage him up, I doubt he’ll be able to swim away tonight.”

“And we can’t leave them out here.” Riku frowned, looking back to Sora, who darted their attention between them, completely unaware of what they were discussing. With a huff of breath, Riku rubbed the back of his neck. “What about… the old lighthouse…?”

Namine looked up at him. “The one Dad used to run?”

Riku nodded, “Yeah, no one’s been there in months. It basically operates on its own.”

Her eyes drifted over Sora as she thought it over. “There is the pool of water at the bottom and it would keep him hidden, but---”

“How do we get Sora there?” 

“Yeah,” Namine sighed, looking back up at him. 

“Easiest way would be to carry them, I guess.” Riku suggested, his nose scrunched at his distaste for his own idea. 

“It’s better than nothing, I suppose.” Namine admitted, sending a soft smile to Sora. “We’ll take care of you. I promise.” When Sora returned the smile, she looked to their tail, grabbing a bottle of ointment from her bag. “This is going to sting, but… it should keep the cuts from getting infected.”

Sora flicked their tail when she tried to grab it, wriggling back. Namine put up her hands, startling with a gasp. 

“Sora,” Riku spoke up, getting the Sirens’ eyes darting to his. “You can trust her.” He assured them, straining a smile. “We’re trying to help.” 

“You might have to hold him down.” Namine told him.

He let out a breath, nodding. “Alright.” 

Sending a glance to Sora, he placed his hands along their tail, surprised when Sora gave little to no resistance to his touch. 

“Go ahead,” Riku instructed Namine, giving her a nod.

“Here goes,” she muttered under her breath, pouring the ointment on a rag, before pressing the fabric over the most prominent cut.

Sora yelped, the end of their tail whipping and making Namine jump back with a gasp of her own. Riku wrapped his arms around Sora’s tail completely, holding him close as Namine hurried back to finish. Sora whined, their hand going to Riku’s shoulder. Riku glanced back at them, seeing the worried, pained look in Sora’s eyes.

“You’ll be alright,” Riku soothed them, his eyes softening as Sora nodded. Sora might not have been able to understand his words, but Riku hoped deep down they understood his sentiment. 

“I’ll try to bandage the wounds,” Namine spoke up, her voice distracted as she rummaged through her bag. “But I think he needs stitches.”

“Can you do that?” He asked, waiting for her to reply, but when she didn’t he asked, “Nams?”

“I’ve never done it before, no.” She admitted, “But, if we’re able to get him to the lighthouse… then, I can try.”

“Better than nothing.” Riku sighed, bringing his attention back to Sora.

Sora had ceased thrashing, keeping as still as possible to allow Namine to finish her work. The waves crashed against the shore, each one splashing against them, covering them in the salty water and bits of seaweed, but none of them paid it any mind. Riku kept his gaze on Sora’s, still entranced by their eyes that danced over the beach around them. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was an unfamiliar sensation in the pit of his stomach when he looked at Sora. Perhaps it was curiosity, excitement, something about discovering something new. Deep down, he knew it wasn’t just that, but there was too much going on to entertain the thought of what else it could possibly be.

“There,” Namine interrupted Riku’s thoughts as he glanced back to see white bandages tightly wrapped over Sora’s tail and fins. 

“Good job,” Riku smiled as she looked up at him.

She softly smiled back, the expression falling to a frown as she repacked her supplies. “We better get him to the lighthouse. Sephiroth will be wondering where we are.”

The mention of Sephiroth made Riku wince as he looked down at his sand encrusted outfit. It would take more than a simple lie to cover up why he looked the way he did. Letting out a breath, he released his hold on Sora’s tail. 

“We’ll be fine.” he assured her, and somewhat himself, as he stood. “Let’s get moving.”

Sora looked between them as Namine wrapped her arms around his tail and Riku came from behind. Riku slid his arms under Sora’s, his face barely inches from theirs. A blush warmed Riku’s cheeks as he linked his hands over Sora’s chest.

“Ready?” He asked Namine, noticing her struggling.

“T-Trying to be,” she replied, strained as she attempted to pick up his slippery tail, until she huffed and released Sora completely. “Actually…” Her voice trailed off.

Riku sighed, loosening his grip on Sora. “Alright… I think I can probably manage.”

He slid his hands back, going to Sora’s side. Sora looked up at him, a trusting smile on their lips as Riku knelt down beside them. Riku couldn’t help but smile back, even if it was nervously, as he dug his arms under the sand and swept Sora off the ground. Without Sora fighting in his arms, they were surprisingly easy to pick up. Riku readjusted the Siren, Sora’s arms tightly wrapping around his shoulders, as if afraid of being off the ground. 

“I’ve got you,” Riku whispered, a warmth filling his cheeks. 

Sora whimpered, burying their face in the crook of Riku’s neck, their grip tightening around him. 

“Is he alright?” Namine asked.

“I hope so.” Riku sighed, subconsciously running his thumb along Sora’s shoulder. “Let’s get to the lighthouse.”

“Right,” Namine agreed, leading the way. 

Riku carefully stepped over the rocks, making sure to keep hidden in the cover of darkness as he followed behind Namine. She checked for townsfolk still out and about, waving Riku over when the coast was clear. Sora occasionally mumbled to Riku, their words still unrecognizable, but Riku could sense the worry in their voice. He whispered back, assuring and comforting that everything was going to be alright… he would make sure of it. 

He wasn’t exactly sure why he was so convicted to help Sora, but no matter the reason, he was determined that Sora be kept safe. A breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding escaped him when they finally made it to the base of the brick lighthouse. It was old and worn down, the stripes painted along it faded and chipped over the years as barnacles clung to its sides. Namine shoved open the door, splintering a corner of the rotten wood and holding it open for Riku to carry Sora inside. 

The salty scent of the air of the outdoors was tenfold in the tight confined space of the lighthouse. Riku coughed from the intensity, his eyes watering and making him blink rapidly. It was completely abandoned as they had hoped, a short wooden stairway leading towards the bottom level that was a pool of seawater, surrounded by a thin stone walkway. 

Riku carefully descended the steps, noticing Sora peeking their head up to see where they had been taken.

“Over here,” Namine spoke up, her voice echoing up the tower. “The water is shallow along this edge.”

Riku nodded, carrying Sora over to the edge where the water lapped against the eroded edge. Kneeling down, Riku lowered Sora into the water. Sora slid in with ease, their tail whipping wildly in another attempt to swim, but ended with Sora crying out in pain. With a whimper, Sora gave up, and resigned to resting along the shallow edge. Tears welled up in their large eyes, making Riku’s heart seize up as he placed his hand along Sora’s shoulder.

“I’m… sorry,” he whispered, his throat tightening as Sora leaned their cheek against his touch. 

“You’ll recover in no time at all.” Namine assured Sora, knelt on the other side of them. “Just you wait.”

Sora merely whimpered in response, sniffling as they stared at the clouded water. 

“We should head back.” Namine told Riku, standing back up. 

Riku’s lips tugged into a frown. “I can’t just leave them here.”

“Riku…” Namine sighed. “Sephiroth is going to be looking for us pretty soon if we don’t head home.”

“I know…” He admitted, his heart sinking further as Sora looked over at him. Letting out a breath, he pushed himself to stand. “Alright… let’s go.” 

Namine nodded, walking past him to leave. Riku stared back at Sora, unable to shake the feeling that he shouldn’t leave him alone. It wasn’t like he was exactly equipped to stay in an abandoned lighthouse overnight though.

“I’ll be back first thing in the morning.” Riku assured him, wishing Sora could understand him. “Alright?”

Sora blinked, hesitantly nodding. Letting out a breath, Riku turned to leave, glancing back once more before shutting the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Riku creaked open his bedroom door, peeking out into the hall. It was an old home, wooden and worn down. Namine still slept in her own bed in their shared room and Sephiroth had claimed the master bedroom after their parents had disappeared. It was the crack of dawn, sunlight just beginning to spread its glow over Dorhaven and Riku was hoping he could sneak out before anyone else awoke.

Letting out a breath, he slipped out of his room, shutting the door behind him and walking slow, and steady to the kitchen. The home was silent, not even the song of the morning birds yet singing outside their door. Reaching the kitchen to find it empty, Riku sighed a breath of relief, grabbing a muffin from the counter and hurrying to the front door.

“Where exactly are you going at this hour?” Sephiroth’s voice caused every muscle in Riku’s body to tense. 

He froze, strongly considering opening the front door and bolting away, yet he knew that would only make the matter worse when he had to inevitably return. “Just going for a walk…”

“The same walk that you and Namine took last night that ended with you both soaked from the ocean?” He asked, something nearly accusatory in his tone. 

Riku scoffed, his back still to Sephiroth. “It’s really none of your business.”

“I’m in charge of your well being,” Sephiroth pointed out, making Riku’s hand clench into a fist at his side. “If you’re up to something--which you obviously are-- I will find out.”

“What, is that your idea of a threat?” Riku asked, glaring over his shoulder at him and seeing Sephiroth standing at the foot of the stairs, already fully dressed as if it weren’t barely dawn.

“More of a warning.” He replied, his silver brow quirking up at Riku’s breath of irritation. 

“You wouldn’t understand.” Riku muttered, shaking his head. “Just stay out of it, alright?”

Sephiroth was silent for a moment, but Riku didn’t give him the chance to respond as he opened the door and left the house. The crisp morning air made him shiver, but he hardly paid it any mind as he hurried into town. Sora had been alone in the lighthouse the entire night and it had been weighing heavily on Riku’s heart. He couldn’t get the Siren out of his head and he hardly slept a wink the entire night. Despite his exhaustion, he was determined to get back to Sora’s side.

He pushed open the door to the old bookshop, the scent of dusty books filling his senses as the owner of the shop peeked up from his desk. 

“Ah, Riku,” they greeted, getting up from their seat and limping over to him. “Haven’t seen you in my shop in quite some time. What can I do for you?”

Riku forced a smile, opening and closing his mouth a few times. “Um, I was actually wondering if you had any books on… uh, well, Sirens.”

The book-keeper’s brow quirked up, “I never took you for a believer in fairytales, Riku.”

A strained chuckle slipped out of him as he stammered, “Eh, yeah, the interest really came out of nowhere.”

“Well, you’re in luck.” They replied with a smirk, waving their hand over their shoulders as they led the way towards the furthest corner in the shop. “We have quite the collection of stories and myths of the creatures. And you might be interested in speaking to my daughter Aeirith on the subject. She’s always had a fascination with them.”

Riku nodded, “Uh, yeah, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

The keeper nodded with a smile, “Let me know if you need anything.”

Riku watched him walk back to his desk, before turning his attention back to the books. He grabbed a few off the shelf, attempting to differentiate between the obvious storybooks and the ones that seemed to hold true information. He flipped through the pages, skimming the words and trying to find anything about them. A certain book stood out to him from the others, a cream colored leather binding with gold trim. It was filled with handwritten notes inside what appeared to be a dictionary of sorts, but for a language Riku didn’t understand.

“Is this in the wrong section?” He asked without thinking.

“Not at all,” a soft, feminine voice caught his attention. He looked up to see a young woman, about Sephiroths’ age. Her brown hair was braided down her back, her green eyes sparkling with life and kindness. She walked towards Riku, holding out her hand for the book. “This is a study of the Aicaya language.”

Riku blinked, “The… what?”

The girl laughed softly, flipping through the pages before she looked back up at him. “Aicaya, usually known as Sirens?”

Riku’s eyes widened as his gaze darted to the book. “So that’s their language?”

“I wouldn’t take it with too much water,” the owner spoke up, making the girl roll her eyes with a fond smile.

“Don’t listen to him,” she whispered to Riku, handing him back the book. “These are my notes in there from when I was studying the language. As much as my father doesn’t believe it, the Aicaya do exist.” She sighed, “I only wish I could see one for myself someday.”

Riku smiled, flipping through the pages of the book. “I know what you mean.”

“I’m thankful that I’m not the only one interested in them.” She told him, leaning to the side so he could see her even as he stared at the book. “I’m Aerith, by the way.”

“Oh,” he looked up at her, unsure what to say in response. “I’m-uh, Riku.”

“Aerith just returned last month after travelling abroad.” The owner spoke up.

“Yes, I was studying the Aicaya.” She told him. “At least, what’s left of them.”

“What’s left?” Riku asked, feeling a knot forming in his stomach. 

“I’ve only been able to find traces of them,” she told him with a sigh. “They were often hunted by pirates and fishermen.”

Riku winced, looking back down to the book as his grip tightened around it. “How much for this?”

“Oh, feel free to borrow it!” Aerith told him with a chime. “I would love to discuss it with you once you have read through it.”

“What? Borrow it? This is a store, not a library!” The owner objected, getting a sigh from Aerith.

“Thanks,” Riku strained a smile, stuffing the book in his bag as he fled the store. 

He hurried out of the town, making his way to the lighthouse. As he neared the tower, he slipped away in the brush of trees, making sure no one could see him before he pushed open the door. 

“Sora?” He called out the moment he was inside, his heart stuttering at the bell like chime in response. 

He hurried down the steps, finding Sora curled up in the same spot along the edge of the pool. Riku’s smile faltered when he saw him, seeing the sombering expression on Sora’s face.

“Hey,” he greeted softly, kneeling down at Sora’s side. “I brought you something.”

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the muffin, holding it out for Sora. Sniffing the air, Sora pushed to sit up, tilting their head side to side as they eyed the treat. 

“Um… you eat it.” Riku tried to explain, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck. When Sora didn’t react, he broke off a piece of the muffin. “See?” he popped the crumb into his mouth, Sora’s eyes widening.

In a rush, Sora grabbed the muffin, stuffing nearly the entire thing in their mouth, crumbs flying everywhere as sounds of yummy appreciation hummed through their full mouth. Riku blinked, watching the spectacle until Sora swallowed and beamed a bright thankful smile that caused Riku to bubble into a laugh. 

“I take it you’re hungry.” Riku chuckled, his heart jumping when Sora laughed alongside him. “Oh, I also got a book.” 

He reached back in his bag, pulling out the newly borrowed book. Sora scrambled to sit up, looking over Riku’s shoulder at the contents. With a gasp they pointed to the words on the page, water droplets falling and mixing with the ink.

“Hey, hey, careful,” Riku laughed, pulling away the book and holding it up when Sora whined and reached for it. “I’m borrowing this.”

Sora huffed, the expression making Riku snicker as he brought the book back. 

“Do you recognize some of these words?” Riku asked, his smile growing when Sora nodded eagerly.

“Aicaya,” Sora recited with excitement, pressing against their chest. 

Riku grinned, “Yeah! Yeah, I found out that’s what your kind is. Aicaya.”

Sora beamed, nodding, scooting closer to Riku to get a better look at the book. They pointed out various words, teaching the other how to say them in the other’s language. Hours passed, both of them learning from the other, able to lay the groundwork of understanding the other. They barely heard the door to the lighthouse open as Sora talked and Riku scrambled to keep up with his book to understand what Sora was saying. 

Namine cleared her throat, both of them going silent and looking up at her standing at the edge of the pool. “Riku, you really should have been at the shop an hour ago.”

Riku groaned, moving to stand up before Sora grabbed his wrist. “Sorry Sora, I have to go.”

Sora held out his other hand, “Book.”

“Oh,” Riku looked at the book in his other hand. “Um… well, sure.”

“Thank,” Sora chimed, hugging the book close.

Riku smiled, completely forgetting he had to leave until Namine repeated his name. 

“Right,” Riku waved her off, walking backwards towards the stairwell. “I’ll be back.”

Sora nodded, his smile faltering as Riku disappeared. 

“How mad is Sephiroth?” Riku asked once the door to the lighthouse was shut behind them.

“He doesn’t seem surprised.” Namine told him, sighing. “I honestly wasn’t surprised either. But I wish you would have told me you were leaving this morning.”

“Sorry,” he apologized, a soft smile curving his lips as he thought about Sora.

“Still though, I’m glad you went back to him.” She replied, gently nudging him with her shoulder. “That was really sweet to see.”

Riku blinked, looking over at her. “See what?”

“You smiling again.” She pointed out, giggling when Riku scoffed.

“I was just… excited to be able to actually communicate with him.”

“Him? She repeated, her smile growing into a grin as her palms pressed together in front of her. “Since last night, you’ve always referred to Sora as them or even it.”

“That was before I knew for sure.” Riku told her. “He’s not a Siren either. Apparently he’s something called an Aicaya.”

“I’ve heard that word before.” Namine brought her hand to her chin, humming in thought. “I can’t think of where though.” 

“Probably from the fishermen or something,” Riku shrugged.

“Possibly,” she nodded.

The rest of the walk back to the flower shop was spent with Riku sharing everything he learned about Sora and all the things he told him about Dorhaven. Namine listened intently, barely getting a word in as Riku talked. She smiled to herself, never mentioning the warmth on Riku’s cheeks or the permanent smile on his lips that she often thought she’d never see again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sun beams shimmered through the water’s surface, shining through the translucent magenta fins of the female Aicaya, as she swam through the sea. Her red hair flowed behind her, her chest twisting with worry as she whipped her tail and broke through the waves. She spun in place, looking out at the water’s horizon, desperately searching.

Cupping her scaled hands around her mouth, she called out, “Sora! Sora, are you out there?” 

She waited for a reply, chewing her bottom lip when there was none. Slipping back under the water, she floated above the coral reef below, her arms hugged tightly around herself. 

“Princess!” A distant voice called out to her, making her eyes slide shut as she sighed. “Princess Kairi!”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she spun around, seeing her mother’s advisor swimming towards her. He was a seahorse, larger than the others scattered in the sea. His skin was a mixture of orange hues that sparkled under the sun’s rays beaming through the water.

“Yes…?” She addressed him, glancing back towards the surface. 

“Finally found you,” he breathed heavily, his tiny chest heaving. “The queen requires your presence.”

Kairi winced, tempted to swim off again to continue her search… but maybe her mother knew something. A way to help her track down Sora. Swallowing, she nodded. “Very well. I’ll go to her.”

The advisor let out a sigh of relief, a smile across his mouth. “Thank you.”

Straining a smile, Kairi swam past him, her mind too distracted to fake the pleasantries. Glowing domes and glass spires surrounded her the further she went, welcoming her to the Kingdom of Aruna. It was a familiar place to Kairi. It was home. The place she grew up with Sora by her side. The two of them were inseparable -- or at least, they used to be… Clenching her hands at her sides, Kairi whipped her tail, propelling herself forward.

She passed the threshold of her home, the castle made with polished marble and glistening gems. It was over the top -- in Kairi’s opinion -- but her mother seemed to think otherwise.

“Princess,” a familiar, worried voice spoke up.

Kairi looked over, seeing Sora’s mother near the archway that led to the throne room. Her heart tightened as their eyes met. She was her Lady in Waiting and had been there for Kairi her entire life. She practically raised her beside Sora... Letting out a breath, Kairi hurried over to her.

“Sumie…” Kairi greeted, unable to keep her eyes connected with hers.

Sumie’s hands clasped in front of her. “By your reaction, I assume you had no luck finding him?”

Kairi swallowed hard, shaking her head. “I’ve looked everywhere I can think of… One minute he was there and the next…” Her voice trailed off. Looking back up at Sumie, she told her. “I just don’t know where he could have gone.”

“It’s not like him to disappear for this long.” Sumie agreed, reaching forward to grab Kairi’s hands. “I know he’s out there. Please, don’t stop searching.”

“I promise,” Kairi assured her, straining a smile. 

“I’ll help however I can.” Sumie assured her, letting out a breath, “It kills me that I can’t be out there searching with you.”

“Me too,” Kairi admitted. “I’m going to try talking with my mom about it.”

“I wish you luck,” Sumie pulled her into a quick hug.

“Thank you,” Kairi’s eyes shut tight, tears threatening to escape Taking in a shaky breath, she pulled back, seeing a similar gleam of emotion over Sumie’s eyes. 

She went past the archway, entering the long, drawn out throne room, where her mother and father were already awaiting her arrival. They were regal, proud, their shoulders back and heads high no matter the circumstance. Kairi often found herself wondering what they had to be so proud of. 

“Kairi,” her father spoke up, his thick blonde hair floating gracefully in the water. His voice was deep, commanding, and if Kairi had been anyone else, he would have seemed intimidating. “We appreciate you gracing us with your presence.”

A spark of irritation flicked in Kairi’s chest, but she buried it away as she nodded. “Of course. I came as soon as I heard you wanted to see me.” Years had passed since she had learned to speak cordially to her parents. Defying them to their face rarely brought anything other than punishment. 

“Where have you been, Dear?” Her mother asked, her red hair that matched Kairi’s hue exactly was pinned and extravagantly braided around her crystal crown. “I do hope you weren’t adventuring with that boy again.”

Kairi took in a slow breath, releasing it as she shook her head. “No… but, I was looking for him. He’s… gone missing.”

“Missing?” Her mother repeated. “For how long?”

“It’s been just over a day.” Kairi told her, “I’ve searched everywhere.”

“He was most likely captured by ship.” Her father surmised, making Kairi’s eyes dart to him. “If that is so, there is little to be done.”

“But --- he’s Sumie’s son!” Kairi objected, swimming forward. “He’s basically royalty, and at the very least, deserves a search party.”

Her mother chuckled, bringing her hand to her mouth. “Oh, my Dear, he is the offspring of a Lady in Waiting, not a Prince.”

“That shouldn’t matter!” Kairi bit back, a glare forming in her gaze.

“He -- along with the rest of our people -- knew the risk of traveling outside Aruna’s walls.” Her father reminded her, his voice calm and collected despite Kairi’s tone. “Whatever becomes of him is not our concern.”

Kairi blinked, averting her gaze as she tried to process what they were saying to her. “He’s… my best friend. I can’t…” She shook her head, looking back to them as she placed her hand over her heart and cried. “You can’t expect me to abandon him! I’m not about to sit and wait for him to return when he might be in danger!”

“That’s quite enough.” Her father raised his hand to silence her.

“It is not enough!” Kairi swam forward, “I won’t stop until something is done!”

Her mother stood from her throne, returning Kairi’s glare. “How dare you take that tone!”

“And how dare you ignore one of our people in their time of need!” Kairi bit. “If you aren’t going to do anything, I will!”

“Now wait a moment, Kairi,” her father stood up, still calm and collected, but Kairi ignored him, turning on her fin to storm out of the throne room entirely. 

Emotion tightened her throat, nearly choking her as guards moved to block her way out.

“You can’t keep me here,” she looked over her shoulder at her parents.

“You must accept that there is nothing to be done.” Her father told her. “I am truly sorry, Kairi.”

Kairi paused, shaking her head, “You sure aren’t acting sorry.”

With a flip of her tail, she darted upwards, slipping between the guards and through the arched window to escape the castle. She could hear the clamor of the guards, the shrill yell of her mother demanding they capture the Princess. It wouldn’t be the first time…

Despite it, Kairi didn’t look back. She bolted between the coral, the homes and spires, knowing the swiftest way to leave the Kingdom without being spotted by the guards. Fellow Aicaya simply stepped aside, used to Kairi and Sora escaping together and swimming through the streets. A few of them even went out of their way to distract the guards to allow her more time. Perhaps there was something to be said about being familiar and friendly with the locals, rather than uptight and hidden away in a tower of jewels. 

She reached the open water, leaving Aruna behind her. Schools of fish shimmered as they passed, paying her little mind as they fled a pod of orcas. Kairi watched them, keeping her distance as she allowed herself to take a moment to slow down. The guards wouldn’t leave the Kingdom, at least not until given orders to do so. She was safe… she just wished she wasn’t the only one safe from harm. 

“I’ll find you, Sora.” She looked up towards the ocean’s surface. “Just hang on.”


	5. Chapter 5

Water lapped against the sides of the stone walkway inside the lighthouse, where Sora lounged against the crumbled edge. His finger traced the letters in the book he had gotten from Riku. Deep down in the pit of his stomach, he knew things were bad. He knew his mother and Kairi were probably worried sick about him. He knew that it would take days to weeks for him to heal properly and that he was in the hands of a couple of strangers. Despite it all, he was striving to focus on the positive. 

He recalled Riku’s voice, his pronunciation of letters and words, and Sora used it in an attempt to distract himself and teach himself the language. It was tiresome, repetitive, and Sora was certain that he was getting a majority of the words completely wrong; but if it kept him from being completely alone with his thoughts as he had been the night before when it had all happened. He wouldn’t complain. 

Everything was still blurred and muddled in his mind. The memories of the day before didn’t add up, they were fractured, fuzzy, and he couldn’t help but think that there was more to them than he remembered. What he did remember was exploring with Kairi. It was something they did together whenever they got the chance and the day before was no different. They had heard about a dolphin tangled in a trap, so of course, he and Kairi jumped at the chance to help. 

He remembered finding the dolphin, talking and soothing them as Kairi attempted to ignite a bit of light magic, but she was still in training and nothing but an occasional sparkle had appeared. It was after that moment that things hadn’t added up. It was as if he had blacked out, and reawoken on that rocky beach, entangled in the same trap the dolphin had been in before. If it hadn’t been for Riku… he wasn’t sure what would have happened to him. 

Sora’s lips curved into a smile at Riku’s name. He wasn’t sure what to think of him when they had first met, just that his aqua eyes were mesmerizing. He had often heard tales of humans and their cruelty, but Riku didn’t seem anything like the stories. Ever since their paths had crossed, Riku had been nothing but kind and selfless to him. It didn’t make sense, but Sora was indebted to him regardless. 

A familiar voice broke him out of his thoughts. A voice that seemed to be desperately calling his name… Kairi. He scrambled up on his arms, pressing his ear against the brick wall to hear more clearly. 

“Soraaaa! Sora, please say you’re here!” She cried out, making Sora’s heart jump as a grin split his lips. 

She had actually found him. 

“Kairi!” He banged on the wall with his fists, wincing from the sting of the cuts along his knuckles, “Kairiiii! In here!”

He scooted himself forward, sliding into the water. His tail twanged in response, the larger fins refusing to move as he commanded so he could swim under the lighthouse. He sputtered and splashed, all at once remembering just how immobile he was. 

A red head of hair burst up from the pool of water, violet eyes meeting with Sora’s that went from being terrified to overjoyed in an instant. 

“SORA!” Kairi exclaimed, pulling Sora into her arms and hugging him to the point of near suffocation.

Sora laughed, tears and emotion filling his eyes as he hugged her back. “Kairi… I can’t believe you found me.” 

“You can thank a couple of guppies,” she told him, not letting him go as her shoulders shook with relief. “They saw you last night and told me where you were.” 

“That’s a relief.” Sora sighed, unable to keep the smile off his lips before Kairi smacked the back of his head. “OW!” He rubbed his spikes of hair, pouting at Kairi’s glare.

“Don’t disappear like that, Numbskull!” She scolded him, crossing her arms and gasping as Sora flopped to the side with a yelp. “Sora!”

She dove beneath the water, her arms linking under Sora’s arms and pulling him back to the surface.

“O-Over there,” Sora pointed towards the crumbled walkway where the water was shallow. 

“Are you alright? What happened?” She asked, helping him settle back in his seat. Her eyes drifted down his body, taking note of every scratch and wound until her hands went to her mouth. “Your tail….”

“Yeah,” Sora replied with a strained voice, hissing as his tail twitched. “I got hurt pretty bad.”

Kairi was unable to take her eyes off his tail. She held out her hand, tracing it along the bandages stained with blue blood. “Who did this…?” 

“Um… weellll,” Sora chuckled, “See, you’re gonna laugh--”

As if on cue, the door to the lighthouse burst open. Kairi jumped over Sora protectively, her breath short and eyes widened as Namine’s and Riku’s voices echoed around them while they came down the stairs. 

“Humans…” She whispered, her voice shaking as she stared up at the stairs.

“Well actually--” Sora tried to explain before Riku and Namine entered and froze when they saw Kairi. 

“Get away from him!” Kairi hissed, baring her fanged teeth and protecting Sora with her own body.

Riku put up his hands as Namine spoke up, assuring them they meant no harm; but Kairi had no idea what she was saying as she held out her hand, about to summon a spell. 

“Kairi, wait!” Sora reached up, grabbing her wrist. “Don’t! They’re my friends!”

“WHAT?!” Kairi sprang back, her widened eyes darting between the humans and Sora.

“That’s Riku,” Sora pointed to him, both him and Namine watching the exchange, completely dumbfounded. “He’s the one that found me washed up on the beach and he rescued me.”

Kairi darted her eyes to Riku, who attempted to smile at her, but was greeted with another hiss in response.

“And that’s Namiinay,” Sora motioned towards Namine. “I think they’re related -- or they’re married… I didn’t really get it.” Shaking his head, he got back on topic, “But anyway, she’s the one that patched me up.” He pointed to his tail, “See? The bandages are cause of her.”

Kairi was struck speechless as she looked between the group, her chest heaving as she backed up against the walkway furthest away from them. 

Sora looked to his friends, smiling apologetically as he motioned towards her, “Kairi.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Kairi whisper screamed at him. “Don’t tell them my name!”

“Kairi…?” Namine said her name, making Kairi freeze as she whipped her attention up to her. Namine knelt down, placing her hand over her heart. “Namine. And this---” she motioned beside her, “is my brother, Riku.”

“What are they saying…?” She whispered to Sora.

“I think… she was introducing herself and telling you that… Riku is either her soulmate or brother.”

Kairi groaned, “Well those are two very different things, Sora!”

“Gimme a break, Kairi!” Sora huffed, “I just started trying to learn their language earlier today.”

“I don’t trust them.” Kairi told him. 

“Well, I do.” Sora replied, smiling towards the others, even as Kairi looked over at him in disbelief. “They aren’t anything like the stories.”

“Yeah well, maybe they are just trying to gain your trust.” She suggested. “Who knows what they’ll do once they know they got you on their side?”

Sora sighed wistfully, looking over at her. “Just give them a chance, Kai, please. I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”

Kairi paused, her eyes drifting towards Sora’s tail. “You’re right…” She admitted, swimming back towards him and running her hand along his tail. “How do I tell them I appreciate them taking care of you?”

“Thank.” Sora told her, noticing Riku and Namine looking over at him. 

“T-ank..?” She repeated, making Sora laugh.

“No, no,” he shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. Clearing his throat, he repeated it slower. “Thank.”

Kairi nodded, taking in a breath as she nervously looked between Namine and Riku. “Um… T-Thank…”

Namine responded with kind sounding words and a smile that caused the slightest flutter in Kairi’s heart as the tension in her shoulders faded away. She wasn’t sure what to think of the humans, but they were taking care of Sora… she supposed she could give them a chance… if that’s what Sora wanted.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“Are you almost ready?” Riku asked, anxiously glancing out the window at the setting sun every few seconds. 

“Yes,” Namine laughed, perusing the extra flowers from the day and picking her favorites. “Just be patient. Sora and Kairi aren’t going anywhere.”

“I know, I just hate that Sora is cooped up all day.” Riku sighed, going to Namine’s side and looking over her shoulder. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“I thought Kairi might like some of these flowers.” She told him, wrapping the unmatched, assorted bouquet in green plastic. “She seemed interested when I was telling her about them.”

“Are you sure she understood any of it?” Riku asked with a soft chuckle.

Namine smiled, “Yes, I’m sure she did. She’s been picking up our language faster than Sora has.”

Riku hummed, looking back towards the door. “Can you blame him for it? He’s got enough going on with his recovering, and--”

“Riku,” Namine interrupted him with a fond smile. “I wasn’t trying to say anything against him. He’s been doing great. There’s no need to get defensive on his behalf.”

With a scoff, Riku crossed his arms, muttering under his breath, “I wasn’t getting defensive.”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded, concealing her amused smirk as she grabbed a ribbon to tie over the stems of the flowers. “Alright, I’m ready.”

“Finally,” Riku breathed out in relief, hurrying towards the door before it opened as Sephiroth walked in. 

Riku stumbled back, his body tensing just from seeing his brother enter the shop, until Namine’s soft hand along his arm brought him back to reality. Sephiroth looked between them, his gaze landing on the bouquet of flowers in Namine’s arms. 

“Where are you two headed off to in such a hurry?” He asked, his tone accusatory as he brought his eyes back to Riku.

“Nowhere special,” Riku averted his eyes, his jaw clenching when he noticed Sephiroth’s huff of amusement at his obvious deflection.

“Is that so?” He asked in return, entirely unconvinced.

“We just thought we could donate these extra flowers.” Namine spoke up, showing him the bouquet. “I’d rather that than throwing them away.”

Sephiroth’s brow quirked up, his smirk faltering at her words. Letting out a breath, he stepped aside, holding out his arm. “Very well.”

Riku didn’t cast him another glance as he hurried out of the shop with Namine in tow. The sun had nearly disappeared over the horizon, the golden glow covering the streets as stars began speckling the darkening sky. Namine kept her eyes downcast as she followed after Riku, holding the bouquet close to her chest.

“I can’t believe I lied to him…” She muttered once they were out of town. “I’ve never lied to Sephiroth.”

Riku stopped midstep, stumbling forward when Namine bumped into his back. “It’s not like we had much of a choice.”

“I… I know,” she admitted, letting out a breath. “But…” Her voice trailed off.

“If he knew about Sora…” Riku swallowed, motioning back to town. “With all those pirates and lowlifes he hangs out with... who knows what he’d do?”

“He’s trying his best, Riku.” She brought her eyes up to his, only to see him scoff and look away. “A lot fell on him after Mom and Dad disappeared.”

Riku winced from the mention of their parents, his hand tightening at his side. “It’s not like it didn’t affect us, too.” He murmured.

“I know…” She whispered, looking down to the flowers in her arms. “And I know that neither of you handle stress well.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, darting his eyes back to her.

“Oh Riku, you know what I mean,” she looked back up at him. “Ever since Mom and Dad left, the two of you can hardly be in the same room together.”

“Yeah, well maybe tell him that.” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’s the one always being an ass.”

“Riku!” Namine scolded him for his language, making him smirk.

“It’s true.” He shrugged, motioning his head further down the path. “Come on. They’re waiting for us. 

Namine sighed as she watched Riku walk on ahead, before glancing over her shoulder. It felt as if someone was there, but when she looked, there was nothing but the empty path leading into town. Taking in a breath, she shook her head and followed after her brother. 

The moon was out, its glow casting silver light over the beach and the worn lighthouse. Riku pushed open the door, grabbing the oil lamp he had placed inside a few days prior. 

“Riku?” Sora’s voice asked with a tinge of hope in his tone that made Riku’s heart jump.

“Yeah, Sora, it’s us!” Riku called back, quickening his pace and heading down the stairs to the lower pool. 

“Welcome back!” Sora chimed, splashing his tail, even if his movement was still limited. 

“Hey, good job,” Riku grinned, dropping off his bag and sitting along the edge beside him. His legs dangled in the cool water as he lowered himself down. “You’re really starting to pick it up.”

Sora blinked, tilting his head to the side as he tried to decipher what Riku was saying. 

“Oh, um,” Riku reached into his bag, pulling out the worn book that had dried droplets of water littering the pages. Finding the word he was looking for, he held it out for Sora and pointed to it.

“Oh!” Sora realized, grabbing the book from Riku, soaking the pages with his hands. “Thank.”

“It’s thanks, or thank you.” Kairi told him, coming up to the surface of the water. 

Sora grumbled in his own language, waving her off as Namine knelt down, placing her flowers beside her.

“Hello, Kairi.” She greeted warmly.

Kairi spun to face her, a warmth filling her cheeks as she wordlessly nodded and smiled. She swam towards the edge, looking over the plastic wrapped bouquet. Pointing to it, she looked up to Namine and asked, “Is flowers?”

Namine giggled, nodding, “Yes, flowers.” She untied the ribbon and plastic, showing her the array of colors and grinning at Kairi’s widened eyes. “Do you like them?”

Kairi opened her mouth to respond, before Sora splashed into the water, showering Namine and the flowers with salty sea. Kairi glared over at him, but he ignored her stare as he swam over to the edge, grabbing a stem of a soaked flower.

Sora oohed and ahhed over them, picking up one after another, telling Kairi about them in their language as she sighed and agreed with him. 

Namine grabbed the occasional flower from the bouquet, silently working at braiding the stems together as Sora talked. Riku’s laugh brought up her gaze, finding him completely entranced by Sora. He seemed to be loving the excitement, even though she knew him to usually prefer silence. She smiled to herself, before bringing her gaze to Kairi, who was watching her movements intently. 

Holding up her half made creation, she showed her, getting a smile and excited nod in response. Namine continued, using more than half the flowers that were no longer being grabbed by Sora, who was instead placing the stems into Riku’s hair. Kairi came to her side, her arms along the edge of the pool with her head resting against them as she watched.

Everything was warm, relaxing, a stark difference to the tense air back in the shop. Namine’s smile grew whenever she would hear Riku chuckle or laugh and made sure to glance up to see what antics he was up to with Sora. The two of them had gotten along better than anyone Namine had ever seen with Riku. It was as if Riku was under a spell when he was around Sora, and she was sure Riku would say the same if she confronted him about it. But considering he was only like this when Sora was around, she highly doubted that was actually the case.

“What is it?” Kairi’s question brought Namine’s attention to her.

“A flower crown.” Namine held up the finished product of half wilted flowers of various sizes and colors. She sighed, “Usually they end up much prettier.”

Kairi carefully reached up, grasping the crown as if it were a rare treasure. “Flower… crown?” She repeated with a slow tone, glancing back up at Namine for reassurance.

Namine nodded, mimicking the motions of placing something on her head. “You wear it.”

“Crown,” Kairi repeated again, copying Namine’s movements to place the crown on her head.

“It fits perfectly,” Namine’s smile warmed, reaching forward to readjust the crown. 

Kairi flinched -- still getting used to fully trusting them -- but with a shaky breath, she remained still. She reached up to trace her fingertips along the petals when Namine was done. 

“Beautiful,” Namine told her.

“Bee-u-ti-full?” Kairi repeated, getting a soft laugh from Namine.

“Very close,” Namine assured her. 

A sudden creak to the door caught all of their attention, Namine and Riku’s eyes darting to each other.

“I’ll go check,” Namine stood up, Sora and Kairi falling completely silent as they watched Namine head up the stairs. 

“No, Nams, I should check,” Riku jumped up, hurrying after her. 

They exchanged a glance as they reached the door, Namine pushing it open first to peek out. “I don’t see anyone…” She whispered, stepping aside to allow Riku to push the door further. “Maybe it was just the wind.”

“Yeah, except that there hasn’t been a gust that strong since we left the shop.” He told her. Letting out a breath, he shut the door. “We must have been being too loud.”

“Or someone followed us,” she tangled her hands in her hair that was hanging loose over her shoulder. “I thought I felt someone watching us on the way here.”

“Shit,” Riku sighed, getting another look from Namine about his language. 

“What should we do?” She asked.

He looked back to Sora and Kairi. “I should stay here… in case anything happens.”

“Are you sure?” She stepped forward, placing her hand along his arm. “Riku, you don’t have anything to stay the night. What about blankets, pillows? You can’t stay by the water all night, you’ll get sick.”

“Sora has to stay here by himself,” he pointed out, looking back at her. “Kairi can’t be here every night.”

“He also can sleep in the water.” She reminded him, worry still plain in her eyes.

Riku let out a harsh breath, “I don’t know what you want me to say, Namine. I can’t just leave him here after that. What if we come back tomorrow and something’s happened? He’s trapped down there and helpless if anyone finds him.”

Namine drifted her eyes towards Sora and Kairi, who were whispering worriedly to each other as they waited for them.

“What about Sephiroth…?” She asked, “He’ll be waiting for us at home.”

“I don’t know,” he admitted with a sigh. “All I know is that I can’t leave Sora here by himself.”

“Riku…” She shook her head, turning away and pacing. “I don’t like you staying here.”

“Well…” he shrugged, a soft laugh escaping him, “it’s not like you really have much say in it.”

Namine chuckled as she looked back at him. “Is that your way of saying you’re staying no matter what?”

“Pretty much,” he smirked, his expression faltering as Namine hung her head forward with a sigh. “Look, Nams,” he went to her, his hands along her arms. “It’s fine. I can take care of myself.”

“You’re right…” She admitted, placing her hand over his. “Just… be careful?”

“Always,” he smirked again, “Thank you.”

She returned a strained smile, letting out a breath. “I’ll have to lie to Sephiroth again.”

“I know,” he agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she shrugged with a bitter laugh. “What’s one more lie, right?”


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Riku stood at the doorway to the lighthouse, watching Namine disappear into the night. Once she was gone, he shut the door with a sigh, leaning against it as his eyes slid shut. His heart twisted with worry. There was no telling who or what had been at the door and every time he attempted to think about what would happen if Sora was found his stomach nearly flipped with anxiety. 

He had only known the Aicayan for a month, there was no reason for him to feel so protective or attached to him. Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t imagine his life without Sora in it. He looked forward to seeing him every day. Something in his life had shifted since they met and Riku wasn’t about to let it get taken away. 

A groan escaped him as he slid to the floor, his back still against the door. He could hear Sora and Kairi whispering to each other in their language. It still sounded like music to Riku’s ears and he hoped that one day he would be as fluent in it as they were. He wasn’t sure what they were saying, only catching common words here and there, but it was obvious from their tone that they were concerned. Riku didn’t blame them. They had placed their trust in him and Namine… 

Sora was trapped there until he could properly swim again. Even with the stitches that Namine had managed, there were still days to weeks worth of recovering left. He could tell from Kairi’s reactions to Sora’s improvements, that it was very possible he would never be able to swim the same again. 

At least he was alive.

Riku swallowed a lump of anxiety in his throat, his heart tightening at the thought of what would have happened if he hadn’t been the one to find Sora. He took in a sharp breath, coughing into his arm. The sound caused the two Aicayans to go silent.

Sora cleared his throat, “R-Riku…?”

Riku nodded, even though he knew neither of them could see him. “Yeah, I’m still here.”

Letting out a breath, he pushed himself to stand and made his way down the stairs. Kairi was still beside Sora, watching Riku as he came towards them. She hadn’t acclimated to him the same way she had to Namine and tensed the closer he got. Sora, on the other hand, smiled warmly as Riku approached, the tension in his shoulders lessening considerably. 

“I’m going to stay here tonight.” He told them, knowing that they probably had no idea what he was saying. He sat down along the edge of the pool, rolling up his pants to his knees so he could dangle his legs in the water. Keeping his gaze on the golden reflection of the lamp’s light on the water’s surface, he muttered, “I’ll keep you safe, don’t worry.”

He jumped when Sora linked his arm with his, leaning his head against his shoulder. “Thank…”

Riku smirked, his heart stuttering in his chest. His hand reluctantly landed on Sora’s lap that was covered with shimmering scales. Even after all that time, he wasn’t used to the texture of them along his skin. 

Kairi’s scoff caught his attention as he looked up, seeing her rolling her eyes with her arms crossed. Looking to Sora she spoke up, her words making Sora’s grip around Riku tighten as he objected to whatever she was saying. Shaking her head, Kairi turned around, diving into the water and disappearing.

“Is… everything alright?” Riku asked, carefully choosing words he knew Sora was familiar with.

Sora nodded against his shoulder, “Kairi…” his voice trailed off as he thought of the words to use. “Looking outside.”

“Oh,” Riku realized, allowing the conversation to fall silent. 

Besides sharing words over the book, the two of them hadn’t spoken much, not that there was much they really could say. Because of it, though, the silence between them was companionable, rather than awkward. Silence usually filled Riku with memories he’d rather forget, anxieties and frustrations of his life, but with Sora, they never entered his thoughts. 

Subtle waves lapped against the edges of the pool, the sound of it splashing against the rock echoing through the tower along with Sora’s occasional humming. The tunes Sora hummed were unfamiliar to Riku, but he loved to hear them. His eyes slid shut, his head resting against Sora’s spikes of hair as he listened to the melodies.

Minutes passed, leading on into an hour without a word being said between them. Riku felt his mind drifting, his body swaying as he was drifting to sleep by Sora’s lullaby. Then soft, cool fingers met along his hand, startling him awake as he opened his eyes. His hand was in Sora’s, held out in front of him as Sora traced his fingers and palm. 

Their hands weren’t incredibly varying from the other, spare for the lack of scales and claws, but Riku realized that while he had all the time in the world to study Sora, he never had the chance to study him. Swallowing, he watched Sora examine him, a thrill of shivers pulsing up his arm to his fluttering heart each time Sora ever so slightly squeezed his hand. He didn’t say anything, merely allowed Sora to continue, choking when Sora’s fingers traced further up his arm. 

“Is -- Is something wrong?” He stammered, his voice nearly breaking. 

Sora paused, shaking his head. “You... different.”

Riku blinked. “Different, huh?” He huffed in amusement, a warmth creeping up to the tips of his ears. “So are you.”

A soft laugh slipped out of Sora, the sound making Riku’s heart jump to his throat. He didn’t know why he was having such a reaction, but a part of him didn’t want it to stop. When Riku didn’t say anything else, Sora continued to trace his fingers along Riku’s arm, he pulled back, his eyes drifting over Riku, not noticing the warmth on Riku’s ears travelling to his face. 

Riku’s breath hitched as Sora’s fingers met along his upper arm, he looked away, unable to watch as Sora gave his arm an experimental squeeze.

“Strong,” Sora simply told him, making Riku choke out a short laugh. 

“I guess so,” he agreed. 

“You, alright?” Sora asked, making Riku look back at him. 

The concern in Sora’s blue eyes caused the nervous energy inside of Riku’s chest to settle as he smiled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” He looked to Sora’s hand still along his arm. “Just… not used to being studied, I guess.”

Sora tilted his head to the side, deciphering what he understood before he hummed with a smile of his own. “Bee-u-ti full.”

Riku’s eyes widened, his eyes darting to Sora’s, “Huh?”

“Namiinay told Kairi with the flowers.” Sora explained, his smile growing as he chimed. “Riku beeutifull.”

“I---I--” Riku stammered, a mess of various noises and words escaping him as he tried to get past the way his heart had nearly exploded in his chest. Clearing his throat, he looked away, butterflies fluttering in a frenzy inside him. “U-Um, thank…. Um… you, too…” 

He refused to look at Sora to see his reaction. If he had his hands back from Sora, he would have used them to bury his face overwhelmed with embarrassment. Instead, Sora chuckled, the sound making Riku swallow as he began to realize that there was something much more than a curiosity about Sora. These emotions, these reactions, they weren’t something he had ever felt before. And if the stories from his parents were anything to go off of… he was feeling something much more real. 

“Thank,” Sora told him, burying his face against Riku’s shoulder again as his hand slid back down to meet with Riku’s.

Riku didn’t pull away, allowing Sora to wrap his hand around his and giving the slightest squeeze in response. 

“Riku…?” Sora muttered, his voice barely audible.

“Hmm?” Riku hummed, still unable to fully find his words as he was internally attempting to figure out what was happening to him. 

“I… I like---” Sora began to reply before the door to the lighthouse burst open. 

Riku released Sora’s hand, standing up and running over to the other side of the pool, just in time to see Sephiroth standing at the top of the stairs with Namine in tow.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
Sephiroth’s eyes scanned the abandoned lighthouse. He remembered the days he would aid his father in managing the place, all before it had been shut down when a newer, more streamlined model had been built. It had been years since he had stepped inside of it, but even just being there brought an air of nostalgia to him. Not that he could pay it much mind as his eyes landed on the pool at the bottom of the tower. The sight caused his hands to tighten at his sides as he realized his assumption of his siblings was correct. 

“What are you doing here?” Riku demanded, bringing Sephiroth’s attention to him. He glared back at Sephiroth, as if ready to physically fight for the creature below. 

“He was the one following us.” Namine spoke up, her voice shaking, still wrought with the tears she shed when Sephiroth had called her out on her blatant lying when she had returned home. “H-He knows, Riku.”

“Did you really believe you could keep it from me?” Sephiroth asked, his tone making Riku tense. He looked over Riku’s shoulder to the creature down below. 

“His name is Sora.” Riku bit in return. 

“Hmph,” Sephiroth walked down the steps, until Riku blocked his path. “You are brave, but reckless to trap him here.”

“I wasn’t asking for your opinion.” Riku glared up at him. “He’s recovering here. Whether or not you like it.”

Sephiroth’s eyebrow quirked up at Riku’s confidence a smirk tipping the corner of his lips. “Is that so?”

“Please don’t tell anyone, Sephiroth.” Namine pleaded, her hands clenched over her heart. When he looked over his shoulder at her, she added. “You know what those pirates would do if they found out about him.”

“Namine!” Riku scolded.

“You’re right, Namine,” Sephiroth told her, looking back to Sora, who was watching the ordeal with widened, frightened eyes. “It wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Creatures like that sell for a high price.”

“You’re not getting anywhere near him,” Riku warned, his eyes narrowing. “I told you before, this doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“You’re right,” Sephiroth nodded, noticing the surprise on both of his siblings’ faces. “Regardless, I should know when and why my siblings are lying to me. Particularly when it gets in the way of our livelihood.” 

Riku scowled, “Should have known that it all comes back down to work. As long as we’re keeping up as your servants, you couldn’t care less about us.”

“Riku, that’s not true.” Namine objected, falling silent when Sephiroth’s hand went up as a way to tell her to remain silent. 

“Believe what you want.” Sephiroth told him, putting his hand back down at his side. “It makes little difference to me.” 

“Riku,” Sora spoke up, catching everyone’s attention. “You, alright?”

The tension in Riku’s shoulders lessened considerably as he looked over his shoulder at him and nodded. “Don’t worry.”

“It speaks our language?” Sephiroth asked, getting a scoff from Riku.

“What do you care?” He muttered, his eyes downcast towards the stairs.

“Fair enough,” Sephiroth looked away from Sora, turning around. “Now that you know the trouble has passed, you should return home for the night.”

“I’m staying.” Riku told him, standing his ground.

“Riku, please, you’ll get sick.” Namine stepped forward.

“It’s not up for discussion.” He told them, turning around and heading back down to Sora. 

“Riku--”

“It’s alright, Namine,” Sephiroth placed his hand on her shoulder. “Let him stay if he insists.”

Namine let out a breath, turning along with her older brother. “Alright…”

Riku looked over his shoulder as he reached the bottom of the steps, watching them leave and shut the door to the lighthouse behind them. Once they were gone, he sat down on the bottom step, letting out a long breath as he buried his face in his hands. 

The sound of splashing water didn’t faze him, knowing that Sora was heading over to the other side of the pool towards him. 

“Riku…?” Sora asked, his hand reaching out and resting along Riku’s arm. 

“I’m alright, Sora,” Riku assured him, turning his head to peek up at Sora, a strained smile on his lips. “I’m alright.”


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Thin beams of sunlight peered through the cracks in the brick of the worn lighthouse walls. Although dim, each ray sparkled and shimmered against the pool’s surface as it lapped at Riku’s feet. He coughed, shivering as his heavy eyes fluttered open. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, everything was blurred with exhaustion. He moved to sit up, but found that he couldn’t manage more than propping himself up on his elbows because something was keeping him there. Glancing down, his heart jumped, seeing Sora nearly laying on top of him, his head nuzzled against his chest.

Warmth crept up Riku’s cheeks as he lifted his hand, hesitating to place it onto Sora, but settled for patting the spikes of his hair. The strands were smooth, lacing between Riku’s fingers as he began brushing through his locks. Sora hummed, a soft smile spreading over his lips as he leaned into Riku’s touch. The sight made Riku smile to himself, his heart swelling in his chest. 

Leaning his head back, his eyes scanned over the tower above. Every cobweb, every piece of splintered wood, the cracks and erosion in the brick, it all was a blatant reminder that the lighthouse wasn’t exactly the best place for anyone to recover. Sora was confined to the tiny pool in a strange, unfamiliar place. He hadn’t felt or seen the sun’s warmth in over a month, yet somehow he hadn’t expressed a single complaint. Riku’s hand paused in Sora’s hair, his lips tipping into a frown. 

He really was trapping Sora there. Even if his intentions were seemingly pure and well intentioned, Sora didn’t have a choice but to wait there day in and day out… completely alone, isolated… It was no wonder his eyes lit up whenever him or Namine came to check up on him. 

Sora murmured in his sleep, catching Riku’s attention and bringing him out of his thoughts. His blue eyes fluttered open, the sight of them never failing to make Riku’s breath catch. He pushed himself up with a yawn, his lips spreading into a bright, beaming smile when his eyes met with Riku’s.

“Riku,” he greeted, another yawn in his voice as he rubbed his eye.

“Good morning, Sora,” Riku replied, about to remove his hand from Sora’s hair before Sora gently grabbed his wrist as he lay back down on top of Riku.

“Keep go,” Sora muttered sleepily, nuzzling back against Riku’s chest.

Riku huffed with amusement, his lips spreading into a warm smile as he did as Sora’s asked. Sora hummed in approval as Riku’s fingers continued to brush through his hair. 

“Riku, sleep good?” Sora asked, keeping his eyes closed.

“Yeah, for the most part.” Riku admitted, tilting his head to the side as his eyes danced over Sora. “A little cold. A little wet.”

“Wet…?” Sora repeated.

“Uh, yeah, the water.” Riku splashed his fingertips on the water’s surface, the sound catching Sora’s attention as his head shot up.

“Oooh,” Sora splashed his hand in the water, a spray of the salty liquid misting over Riku’s already shivering body. “Wet water.”

Riku chuckled, “Something like that.”

The door to the lighthouse creaked, catching both of their attention. 

“Namiinay,” Sora pointed towards the door.

“You can tell from how we open the door?” Riku asked, “I’m kinda impressed.”

As the words left his mouth, the door swung open, Namine stumbling backwards into the lighthouse from shoving the door open with her back. She regained her footing, turning around to face them and stopping short. Her eyes drifted over the two of them, before her gaze met with Riku’s and she smiled. 

“Good morning,” she greeted them, carefully coming down the stairs, a paper bag stuffed with food in her arms. 

“Morning!” Sora greeted, pushing off of Riku and splashing to the other edge of the pool. His tail flicked as he reached out for the food. 

Namine giggled, reaching into the back and handing Sora a blueberry muffin, which had proved to be his favorite since being with them. He hummed in delight, leaning over the edge of the pool on his elbows and devouring the treat. Riku chuckled at his excitement as Namine placed the bag of goodies beside him and knelt down. 

“How are you doing?” She asked, her voice soft and concerned.

Riku’s smile faltered as his eyes downcast to the water. “I’m fine.”

Namine sighed, bringing the back of her hand to his forehead. “Well, you don’t feel like you got a fever from staying here all night. Although--” her smile grew into a smirk and a knowing look as she brought her hand back in her lap “I’m sure Sora helped keep you warm.”

Riku huffed out a breath, the warmth on his cheeks darkening as he refused to give her assumption any reply. 

“I’m about to head to the shop.” She moved on, noticing Riku tense. “Are you coming?” When he shook his head, she sighed, “Riku--”

“I don’t want Sora to be alone.” He told her, his eyes falling on Sora excitedly finishing the muffin. “He’s here alone almost every day. I can stay with him for at least one of them.”

Namine followed his gaze, letting out a breath. “Alright… but, you should at least consider coming home tonight.” Riku sighed heavily, and she clarified, “Not to stay at home, just… to pick up some things that might make it easier to stay here.”

Riku looked over at her, “What sort of things do you think would make it easier?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know… some clothes, blankets, pillows, maybe even some food in case either of you get hungry in the middle of the night.”

“I… might be able to set up a bed on the next floor.” He pointed out. “At least stay out of the water at night.”

Namine smiled, “I would really appreciate that. Give me a piece of mind at the very least.”

Riku laughed softly, looking over at her and noticing the exhaustion in her eyes. “Have trouble sleeping?”

She nodded, “Between the tension with Sephiroth and worrying about you here? I didn’t get much sleep.”

“Sorry,” Riku’s eyes drifted towards the water. 

“It’s alright.” She assured him. “I’m glad you could be here with Sora.” Standing up, she straightened out her dress. “Well, I’m off to the shop. I’ll see you tonight?”

Riku looked up at her, nodding. “Yeah, I’ll be ready.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sephiroth sighed heavily as he leaned back on the couch. He was home after a tense day at the shop, finally taking in a deep breath to relax. The flames from the fireplace crackled and flickered, the heat radiating into him as he absently watch the sparks float onto the glowing wood. He had half expected Riku to forgo coming into the shop, but he hadn’t expected Namine to be distant as well. She wouldn’t say it, but he knew she didn’t like the situation. Still though, he swallowed his curiosity about Riku and what Namine’s true thoughts were and went about his work. 

At the end of the day however, just before bed and without anything to busy himself with, the curiosity and uncertainty returned in full force. He wasn’t sure what Riku saw in that creature, why he cared and what had happened to end up having it trapped inside their father’s lighthouse. Part of him didn’t want to know, his brother had always been the one to get caught up in mischief. He grew attached to things and people far too easily. There wasn’t an ounce of discernment in him, and he had seen firsthand how often Riku was burned for it. 

Riku had taken the disappearance of their parents the hardest. While Sephiroth had lost the most from their disappearance since his life had been just about to take off, Riku lost the most emotionally. It was a shame, really, but Sephiroth could have seen it coming from a mile away. 

The rattle of the front door brought him out of his thoughts as he glanced over his shoulder from his spot on the couch, fully expecting Namine to enter the house. He blinked in a rare surprise when the door opened and Riku walked in after her. Despite the surprise, Sephiroth didn’t spare a reaction. Instead, he kept his lips pressed thin, his eyes drifting over his siblings before he looked back to the flames. 

“Welcome back,” he greeted nonchalantly.

Riku let out a breath, sliding his bag to the floor along with his shoes and walking past him towards his room. “I’m not staying. I’m just grabbing a few things.”

“By all means.” Sephiroth waved behind him. “Let me know if you need any help.”

“I’ve got it, thanks,” Riku replied sarcastically.

As he disappeared into his room, Namine came up to the side of the couch, catching Sephiroth’s attention as he glanced up at her for a moment, before looking back to the flames. “Is something on your mind?” He asked.

“Are you really alright with Riku staying at the lighthouse?” She asked, her palms pressed together in front of her. 

“He’s nearly an adult.” He pointed out. “He should be allowed to make his own decisions… and allowed to deal with the consequences of them.”

Namine hummed, her hands running up her arms. “It doesn’t bother you?”

“Should it?” He asked, glancing up at her.

She averted her eyes from his, focusing on the fireplace. “I suppose not. The two of you just seem like strangers to each other.” Sephiroth’s eyes drifted away as she continued. “Do you remember when we were kids? When Riku found that frog with the missing leg?”

A smirk tipped the corner of Sephiroth’s lips, “Yes. He was in tears begging Mother to let him keep it.”

“She said no over and over again,” Namine recalled with a soft laugh. 

“He was devastated,” Sephiroth nodded, his fingertips tracing the stitching in the fabric. 

“And when he came to us about it,” Namine walked forward, sitting on the other side of the couch, “Do you remember what you did?”

Sephiroth let out a breath, “Of course. I fail to see why you feel the need to bring it up.”

“You told Riku you’d take care of everything.” She continued when he didn’t. “You made a little pen in the garden at the shop and convinced Mom to let Riku keep the frog.” She giggled, “We still have those types of frogs in the garden, don’t we?”

Sephiroth hummed, “Why are you telling me this?”

“I just… don’t understand why you’ve made yourself so distant from him.” She sighed, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “You used to always be there for him, ready to stand up for him no matter what. But now… It’s like you aren’t even brothers.”

“I hardly see how it concerns you.” He noted.

“It concerns me as part of this family.” Namine looked over to him, the slightest bite in her voice as she stood. “The two of you are the only family I have left. It would be nice to see at least one of you making an effort.” She turned away, letting out a breath. “I… apologize for my tone. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

A chuckle rumbled in Sephiroth’s chest as he shook his head. “It’s alright. I’d much rather hear how you truly feel about things.”

Namine hummed, “I’ll work on that… Just as long as you work on being a brother again.”

Sephiroth didn’t reply as Namine left, following Riku into his room to help him pack. With a heavy breath, he leaned back in his seat on the couch, bringing his hand to his face. Being the caretaker to his siblings wasn’t the way he expected to spend his young adult life. Moving his hand away, he stared at the flickering flames of the fire, hearing Namine having a similar chat with Riku, with less success as Riku refused to listen. If anyone was going to have to change to effect the relationship positively, Sephiroth supposed it would have to be him. 

Sitting up in his seat, he glanced towards the door, seeing Riku’s bag along the ground. It was a bag Riku had with his daily when he’d come to the shop after being gone all morning. Maybe there was something inside of it that could help explain things. Sephiroth darted his gaze away at the thought. The last thing he should be doing is snooping through his brother’s things when things were already tense. All it would take is one look from Riku and things would be worse off than they were before. 

He did have suspicions of what could be inside of it. Particularly something that would allow Riku to teach the creature how to speak English. There was only one other person that Sephiroth knew that could possibly know anything about the creatures. A person that he hadn’t seen in years since she left to travel the world. Sephiroth looked to the bag again, letting out a breath. If anyone would be able to help him learn more about the situation, it would be her.

He supposed he had a place to go to tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> Thank you so much for taking the time to read Aicaya. 
> 
> I wanted to apologize a bit for the short chapters.   
> In the past, my chaptered stories always had really long chapters that ranged between 10k-15k words each. For Aicaya, I wanted to try something different with short vignettes that jumped around from chapter to chapter. 
> 
> So I apologize for some of them being incredibly short and different lengths than the others. 
> 
> I hope everyone still enjoys though as I experiment with this!!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sephiroth stared up at the worn, wooden sign hanging over the front window of the book shop. It was a place he hadn’t been to in years, but he was more than familiar with it. Letting out a breath, he pushed open the door, hearing the bell chime him welcome. Books lined the shelves surrounding the interior, each one labeled with perfect handwriting and neatly organized. 

Soft, melodic humming caught his attention, making his heart jump to his throat as he walked further in and turned the corner. Aerith was up on a ladder, organizing books along the top shelf. His eyes danced over her before darting away as he cleared his throat. The humming ceased, followed with a short gasp. 

“Seph, is that you?” She asked, climbing down the ladder and coming towards him. 

“Y-Yes,” he stammered, clearing his throat again. “Yes, it’s me.” He brought his eyes back to hers, his voice choking at her green eyes gazing back at him. “It’s been quite some time, Aerith.”

Her lips spread into a large smile, turning into a grin as she nodded, “Mmhm! I just returned from my travels a couple months ago.” She pushed her hair behind her ear when Sephiroth didn’t reply right away. “So-- I’m surprised you’re still in town.” 

Sephiroth blinked, looking away as he nodded. “Yes… well, life got in the way of my plans.”

She hummed, “Yes, I heard about what happened…” She looked away as well, her fingers tangled in front of her. “I’m so sorry.”

An awkward silence rose between them, mixing with a tension filled with unspoken words.

Clearing her throat, Aerith changed the subject. “Um, so, what brings you here today?”

“Ah, yes,” he looked back to her, nearly forgetting the reason for his sudden visit. “I need a book.”

She pursed her lips in an attempt to cover her smile. “Well, you are in luck. You might not realize, but you are, in fact, in a bookstore.”

Sephiroth blinked, the warmth on his cheeks darkening as he chuckled. “I had no idea.” 

Aerith giggled, bringing her hand to her mouth as a subtle smile spread on Sephiroth’s lips in response. “Is there a particular book you’re looking for?”

“More of a subject,” he admitted, his voice softening as she looked back to him. “I believe my brother was in here a few weeks ago--”

“Yes!” She chimed, her eyes lighting up. “He was here asking about the Aicaya. I was so surprised that someone else was interested in them. So I let him borrow my compilation of the Aicaya language and--” her voice trailed off as her eyes widened. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I just completely interrupted you in my excitement.”

Sephiroth shook his head, his smile growing. “No need to apologize. It… It’s nice to see you like that again.” He cleared his throat nervously and averted his eyes when she smiled up at him. “Um, so the creatures?”

She giggled, correcting him, “It’s pronounced Aye-kay-ah.”

“Aicaya,” he repeated, warming even further at her broad grin in response.

“Exactly,” she chimed, lacing her hands in front of her. “Are you interested in learning about them, as well?”

Sephiroth’s mouth open and closed, unsure how to respond. All it took was one meeting of Aerith’s eyes with his for him to nod. “Yes. I would love to learn more. Would you teach me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really short chapter today, sorry!!


	12. Chapter 12

A twang of pain shot up Riku’s back, forcing him awake with a groan. His eyes fluttered open, his head throbbing from a mixture of exhaustion and the way his pillows just couldn’t mask the uneven wood of the floorboards beneath them. Blankets and pillows surrounded him in his makeshift bedroom in the lighthouse. His backpack was merely feet away, stuffed with clothes that needed a proper wash and enough food to last the next couple days. 

Down below, he could hear the water in the pool lapping against the wall, along with the soft murmuring voices of the others. Namine was already there. He could recognize her voice, even though she spoke in a whisper in hopes she wouldn’t awaken Riku. While she was attempting to be courteous, Sora was chiming as loud and wonderful as usual. The sound of his voice brought a soft smile to Riku’s tired lips. 

It had been an odd two weeks, living in the lighthouse with him. Riku rarely went outside. Usually only to retrieve more supplies or to take an actual shower. The only person he avoided more than anything was Sephiroth, and even then, he didn’t have to try hard. Lately, even his brother was gone from the house whenever Riku would sneak back in to grab something. 

Despite the unusual situation, Riku rather enjoyed being by Sora’s side. The two of them were nearly inseparable. Riku smiled more often, more genuine. His mind wasn’t fogged with distant daydreams anymore, save for the occasional one of a future with Sora. And even those, he usually shook away when they appeared. There was no telling what would happen once Sora had completely healed. It was possible that Riku had only imagined how close he and Sora were. But seeing the way Sora’s eyes would light up whenever Riku would come downstairs in the morning, told Riku that he wasn’t. 

The thought of seeing Sora’s eyes again helped Riku move to sit up. He was certain there was a spell in the Acaiya. Namine had yet to mention anything about it, but Riku often found himself lost in them. It had to be the same for her. 

He grimaced as he sat up, his back cracking and muscles revolting at being forced to move. Despite being able to stay there at Sora’s side at all times, his body didn’t much appreciate having to sleep in an old, abandoned lighthouse every night. 

His hands rubbed against his eyes in an attempt to push away the exhaustion as he let out a long breath. Sora was attempting to talk with Namine. His words were broken and mismatched, but still a long way from the Acaiyan that had washed ashore with no knowledge of what either of them said. Riku pushed himself to stand, his legs shaking as he went over to his backpack and grabbed a packaged muffin. 

The voices ceased as he went down the stairs, each step creaking beneath him. He spotted Sora’s tail first, thin beams of sunlight crept through the cracks in the brick, their light shimmering against the scales. He still was in awe of its beauty, even after staring at it day after day. 

“Riku!” Sora’s voice caught Riku’s attention, bringing a smile to his lips that turned into a grin when Sora noticed the muffin in his grasp. “Breakfast?” He asked, outstretching his hand. 

Riku chuckled, unwrapping the muffin and tossing it to him, which Sora plucked midair to devour. With a sigh, he sat at the bottom step, his eyes drifting down Sora’s tail to see Namine’s hands running over it as she examined the healing lacerations. The stitches had long since been removed and all that remained were thick scabs of feverish purple skin and dislodged scales. It wasn’t any easier to look at, but Sora being able to bend his tail and move around the pool was enough proof that whatever they had done for him, it was working. 

“How is he?” Riku spoke up.

Namine glanced up at him as she brought her hands back to her lap. “Better than the other night. The stitches seem to have done their job well.”

“All thanks to you.” Riku pointed out, getting a soft smile and huff of laughter in response. 

“I did the best I could,” she admitted, her eyes drifting back to Sora’s tail. “I do worry that the scars will never fully heal.”

“It’s better than the alternative.” He told her, swallowing the lump in his throat and the urge to say that at least he’s alive.

“True,” she agreed, standing up and brushing her hands over the bottom of her white dress. “He seems to be recovering well though. Another week and he might be able to leave.”

Both Sora and Riku looked to Namine, their eyes betraying more of their feelings on the matter than their lack of words. She looked between them, smiling sadly as she stood back up. 

“That doesn’t mean you can’t still come to visit.” Namine assured Sora, a soft smile on her lips as she packed away her medical supplies. 

Riku didn’t say anything on the subject, but couldn’t shake the dread in the pit of his stomach. Life would return to the way it used to be… Other than being able to sleep in an actual bed again, that didn’t sound all that enticing. 

“Well, I should head to the shop.” Namine sighed, looking to Riku. “Do you think you’ll come today?”

“I’ll pass,” Riku stood up from the stairs, walking back up to his room to grab some clothes. 

“Maybe tomorrow,” she muttered, her smile faltering into a subtle frown as she watched him disappear upstairs. Letting out a breath, she looked to the pool. “I’ll see you tonight then, Sora.”

Sora’s eyes had been dancing over the water’s surface, a thoughtful frown on his lips. Blinking, he looked back up to her, a lopsided smile tugging at his mouth. “Have good day, Namine!”

“Thanks,” she giggled, “You too.”

Giving one last glance towards Riku, she went up the stairs and left the lighthouse.  
The morning breeze greeted her, washing away the thick humidity from inside the lighthouse. She took in a deep breath, exhaling through her mouth accompanied by a sigh. 

The walk to the shop was tranquil and quiet, people just beginning to get to their jobs and the flowers still unfurling from the night. As she reached the gate that led inside, she was surprised to see the entrance already propped open with a vase full of lilies. It wasn’t like Sephiroth to keep the door wide open to allow the wind from outside to waft in, even if Namine insisted that it was more welcoming. As she closed the gate behind her, she heard voices coming from inside the shop. One of them belonged to Sephiroth, she was sure of it, but it sounded much too jovial to be him. 

Her eyes widened as she stepped past the entrance, spotting Sephiroth at the front of the shop with Aerith. Her green eyes were sparkling full of life, full of something that made Namine feel at home. She looked around the shop, a fresh lily in her hands as she talked to Sephiroth. And he was completely lost in her. He had yet to even notice Namine entering the shop as he listened to his visitor ramble on. 

“Um, good morning,” Namine spoke up, bringing her hand to her lips to suppress a giggle when Sephiroth quite literally jumped from her voice. 

He stumbled back, his cool position against the front desk slipped as he regained his composure. “Namine,” he greeted, clearing his throat. “I didn’t think you would be here so early today.”

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t have to open the shop on your own.” She told him, looking over at Aerith. “But, I’m sorry I missed our first customer.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m just here to keep Seph company.” Aerith assured her, her hands clasped in front of her with the lily in her grasp. “It’s wonderful to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you and Riku.”

“Oh?” Namine glanced to Sephiroth, noticing him averting his eyes as a rare warmth covered the tips of his ears. She felt her lips curve into a smile as she looked back to Aerith. “Well, it’s lovely to meet you as well. When did the two of you--

“I think it would be best for you to take the day off, Namine.” Sephiroth cut in before Namine could say another word.

Her mouth shut, her lips pursed. It was an uncommon sight to see anyone having such an effect on Sephiroth, but she supposed there was no reason to become involved. “Well, alright.” She hesitantly agreed, “Are you sure?”

“Aerith and I will mind the shop.” Sephiroth quickly averted her question.

Namine looked to Aerith, her smile was warm and soft as her eyes danced around the shop. She was unlike anyone she had ever seen around her brother before. Something about her was inviting and calm, something that Namine was relieved to see after the past few months. 

“I’ll see you tonight then.” Namine told them with a small smile, turning around and heading out of the shop. 

Her thoughts were distracted as her feet mindlessly carried her back to the lighthouse. As she opened the door, she could hear the chiming voices of Sora and Kairi, along with the occasional word from Riku. They all stopped as the door creaked and Riku shot up from his spot beside the pool, pausing mid step when he saw Namine.

“You’re back,” Riku relaxed his arms, glancing behind him at Sora and Kairi before making his way over to Namine. “Did something happen?”

“Sort of,” she admitted, her eyes drifting to the Acaiya, before going up to meet Riku’s. “There was someone at the shop already. Someone named Aerith?”

Riku blinked, his gaze darting to the doorway. “Aerith…? That girl from the bookshop?”

Namine hummed, “I don’t know about that, but she said she was there to keep Seph company and then Sephiroth told me to take the day off.”

With a roll of his eyes, Riku turned around, “Figures. He’s up to something.”

“Why would you say that?” 

“Because Aerith is the one that gave me the book.” Riku explained, walking down the stairs to the pool. “She’s the one that travelled the world to learn more about Aicaya. Why would Sephiroth suddenly be interested in her?”

“I don’t know…” She sighed, her hands pressed together in front of her as her eyes downcast. “It might have started as something like that, but… the way he is around her, all of that seemed genuine.”

“I’m not buying it,” RIku waved her off, sitting back at the edge of the pool and smiling as Sora splashed over to him. 

“I suppose we’ll have to see what happens.” Namine agreed with a wistful breath.


	13. Chapter 13

Sora hummed, his eyes slipped shut as Riku’s fingers absently brushed through his spikes of hair. His head lay on Riku’s lap, listening to him talk with Namine beside him. There were a few words he understood, but most of it was complete nonsense to him. He didn’t mind though. Riku’s voice calmed him and it helped distract him from everything else going on around him. It was obvious that whatever Riku and Namine were talking about that it had Riku stressed. There was a tense rigidness in his tone, which is what prompted Sora to come over to him for snuggles in the first place. 

A splash of water from behind startled Sora’s eyes open. The conversation paused everyone’s eyes going to Kairi as she emerged from the water. Sora blinked before smiling. He glanced back to Riku before going to Kairi’s side. 

“Hey Kai,” Sora greeted her, wincing as a sting shot up his tail when he flicked it without thinking. 

“Hey,” she half smiled in return, glancing over to the siblings as they continued their conversation with each other. 

Sora’s head tilted to the side, his eyes dancing over her. “What’s wrong?”

Her gaze downcast to the water, seeing the sparkling rays of sunlight shimmering along the surface. “Sumie’s starting to worry.”

“Oh…” His heart sank, his eyes joining her in staring at the water’s surface. “Did you tell her where I am?”

With a nod, Kairi explained. “I’ve been telling her bits and pieces about what’s been going on when I can meet with her. But you know… it’s been nearly two months since you got trapped in here.”

“I’m not trapped,” Sora pointed out, his lip jutting out in a pout. “Without Riku, I’d--”

“I know, Sora,” she interrupted him with a sigh, going to the edge of the pool and resting her arms along the surface. “But I can’t blame Sumie for being worried. I’m worried, too, honestly.”

Sora let out a breath, leaning against the edge of the pool with his arms crossed. “What are you worried about?”

“That maybe you don’t want to come home…” She admitted, her finger tracing a crack in the stone. 

He opened his mouth to object, a spark of hurt in his chest that she would even suggest that, but he stopped short. His lips pressed together, his hands tightening along his arms. 

“I do want to come home.” He told her, his voice soft and quiet. “I want to see my mom again and I don’t want to be stuck here forever, but…. Not yet...”

Kairi groaned, leaning her forehead against the stone edge. “Is it because of Riku?”

Sora chuckled, “Yeah, maybe a little bit...”

She darted her head up, eyes widened from his nonchalant confession. His gaze was settled on Riku, a sad smile on his lips.

“I… don’t really understand it.” He admitted, putting his hand over his heart. “But I know that I really like him.”

“Figures,” Kairi sighed wistfully, rolling her eyes with a breathy chuckle. When Sora didn’t return the laugh, she looked over him, noticing a sullen glaze over his eyes. “What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be excited to confess that sort of thing?”

“I am,” he assured her. “I guess I’m just… I don’t know--” he scratched the back of his head, blowing out a breath of air “Worried.”

“About what will happen to him if you leave?” She guessed.

“Sorta,” he leaned back against the edge of the pool, hands laced behind his head. “We don’t know how I got tangled up on the beach. What if something did that to me on purpose? And Riku just happened to be the one that got to me first?”

“You really think someone would do that…?” She asked, deep down knowing the answer to that question. She had been warned of the surface enough times by her parents to know the truth. 

“I hope not,” he admitted, swallowing, “But, what if there was…? I can’t just leave if they are still out there. And what if they find out Riku helped me?”

Kairi looked over to him, before her eyes flitted away to the water’s surface. “You’ve been thinking about it a lot, haven’t you?”

“There’s not much else to do when Riku’s sleeping.” He sighed, getting a chuckle from Kairi. 

“Yeah, I guess not.” She agreed, glancing over at the siblings. They didn’t interfere with their conversation, but she could see them casting worried glances from their tones and occasionally using their names. “I’ll look into it.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. 

“Someone has to have seen something,” she told him, flicking her tail as she swam around the pool. “Maybe there is a way I can piece everything together and figure out what happened that day. But either way, Sora,” she came to a stop in front of him. “I’m not letting whoever it was near you again. So you don’t have to worry about that.”

Sora’s lips quirked up into a smile as he nodded. There was a determined look in Kairi’s eyes, one that Sora recognized well. Whenever she got it, nothing could stand in her way, and it was exactly the sort of confidence Sora needed right then. Without thinking, he pulled her into a hug, holding her close despite her grumbling. 

“Thanks Kairi,” he murmured, pulling back to send her his trademark grin that made her huff with amusement. 

“Don’t thank me yet, Numbskull.” She told him, backing up. “Let’s see if I can find anything first.”


	14. Chapter 14

Riku looked up at the sky as he followed after Namine along the dirt road. Gloomy clouds swirled overhead, rumbling with distant thunder and masking the songs of the morning birds. He still couldn’t believe that he was going along to the shop again. Two weeks had passed since Aerith began showing up at the shop with Sephiroth and every day, Namine was insisting that Riku come back to see it for himself. According to her, Aerith had initiated a change in Sephiroth. He was softer, kinder, and everything that Riku couldn’t quite believe. 

“Good morning!” Aerith’s sweet voice brought Riku’s attention back forward to see her standing in the front garden outside of the shop. 

It was as if the somber overcast of the oncoming storm had no effect on her. Her curls were tied back, falling over her green apron speckled with embroidered white daisies. If Riku hadn’t been so against her budding relationship with his brother, he would have said she belonged there. 

Instead, he strained a smile, allowing Namine to talk back to her as he followed behind. 

“I’m so glad you came to visit, Riku.” Aerith looked at him after exchanging greetings with Namine. 

Riku tensed, “Uh, yeah… figured I’d see how everything was going.”

“Is Sephiroth inside?” Namine cut in, grabbing Riku’s arm to pull him past the gate. 

“Yes!” Aerith stepped back, allowing the siblings to pass as she took off her gardening gloves. “Also, Riku, I hope the Acaiya book has been helpful to you.”

Riku blinked, stopping midstep. A flash of worry panged in his chest that she knew the truth about Sora and Kairi, but looking back at her, she merely waited for his reply with a polite smile. Letting out a slight breath of relief, he nodded. “Yeah, it’s been great. Thank you.”

“Of course,” her smile grew as Namine tugged on Riku’s arm. With a soft giggle, she motioned towards Namine. “I’ll let you two get inside.”

The knot of dread already tight in Riku’s gut twisted further as he passed the threshold of the shop. It had only been a few weeks since he had been there last, but it had since been redecorated -- no doubt due to Aerith’s presence. Strings of pastel paper lanterns were hung along the wall and across the ceiling. Their warm glow illuminated the shop along with the natural light from the windows with newly purchased curtains tied with ribbon. It was an aesthetic that Riku knew his mom would have loved. The thought loosened the knot in his gut. Maybe having Aerith around wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Riku, what a surprise.” Sephiroth spoke up, his voice making whatever ease Riku had managed to immediately shatter. 

“You can thank Namine,” he replied with a bite in his voice, his arms crossing. He could see Sephiroth out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t look over. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“Riku…” Namine sighed, walking towards Sephiroth behind the front desk. “Is there anything that still needs done?”

With a short nod, he gave her a verbal list of chores, his eyes flitting up to Riku every couple seconds. Namine smiled and thanked him, grabbing Riku’s arm to pull him to their work. He followed without complaint, his gaze meeting with his brother for a moment, before he turned and went about his job. 

He worked without a word, weeding the garden and organizing the bouquets. Aerith entered the shop after about an hour, her voice soft and gentle as she conversed with Sephiroth. Every response from Sephiroth set Riku on edge. His words, his tone, none of it sounded like Sephiroth… at least, not the brother he had been forced to live with after his parents disappeared. Deep down, he knew he should be thankful that Sephiroth was changing, going back to the brother he remembered growing up, but he couldn’t just take it at face value.

“Have you told Riku about your studies?” Aerith asked, the use of Riku’s name catching his attention. 

Riku glanced up from sweeping around the shop, his eyes briefly catching his brother’s before they both averted their gaze and Riku went back to work. 

“Um… no, I haven’t had the chance.” Sephiroth admitted, clearing his throat. 

“Oh,” she realized with a soft hum. “I’m surprised. I feel like the two of you could bond over your interest in the Acaiya.”

The handle of the broom clanged against the floor as Riku scrambled to pick it up in a rush. He felt their stares burning into him as he turned his back to them, broom in hand. Hushed whispers behind him only made it worse as his ears burned with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. 

“I think I’ll go check on Namine in the garden.” Aerith announced, turning and heading outside. 

Sephiroth let out a long, drawn out breath as the door shut behind her. “That wasn’t how I hoped you would find out.” He spoke up, his voice making Riku freeze. 

“I knew there was a reason she suddenly showed up,” Riku mumbled, his hands tightening along the handle of the broom. “Does she know you’re using her? Or does she actually think you care?”

A huff of amusement in response caused Riku to glance over his shoulder at him, noticing a subtle smile tugging at the corner of Sephiroth’s lips. 

“You really do assume the worst of me.” Sephiroth chuckled, but Riku wasn’t sure if it was genuine or simply bitter. 

“It’s not like you’ve given me a lot of reasons to think otherwise.” He countered. 

“I didn’t say I blamed you.” Sephiroth pointed out, his eyes downcasting to the surface of the front desk. 

Riku’s gaze drifted over him, guilt trickling in his chest for speaking harshly. “What do you expect me to say then?”

“Nothing,” he admitted with a subtle shug, turning and going towards the window. He spotted Aerith working outside, his shoulders relaxing as he let out a breath. 

Without a reply, Riku followed his gaze, seeing Aerith notice his brother and smile sweetly back at him. Any other couple and Riku would have thought it was sweet. Instead, it made him cringe, turning around to get back to work. Something didn’t sit quite right with him about the entire situation. Seeing Sephiroth melt and bending to the whims of someone else was something he wasn’t sure he wanted to get used to. Particularly, a girl that was the only reason Riku could even communicate with Sora. One misspoken word to her about the two Acaiyans he’d been spending the last two months with and there was no telling what could happen. And of course, Sephiroth had to bring her closer… it couldn’t have just been a coincidence. 

“Why her…?” Riku spoke up, keeping his back to his brother, even though he heard him turn around. 

“Aerith?” He asked to clarify, getting a short nod in response. Letting out a breath, Sephiroth clasped his hands behind his back. “I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”

With a scoff, he bit, “Try me.”

“Very well,” Sephiroth paced towards the front desk. “I was curious about your interest in those creatures and there was a part of me that… well--” his voice trailed off as he cleared his throat. 

Riku looked over his shoulder at him, seeing his brother leaning his back against the front desk, his arms crossed. “That what?”

“A part of me that wanted to see if I could bridge the gap between us.” He confessed, his eyes trained on the scuffed wooden floorboards. 

“Bridge the gap…?” Riku repeated, his eyes narrowing. “Where the hell did that come from?”

Sephiroth chuckled breathily. “Despite your insistence, I’m not completely evil at heart. I can recognize when I’ve caused a rift.”

“Yeah, but where did that come from? He clarified exasperated. “You never cared before. Why now?”

Pursing his lips, Sephiroth didn’t say anything at first. It was obvious that he was thinking over his words, but Riku wasn’t sure he cared to know what was going through his mind. 

“Look,” Riku cut through his thoughts, bringing his brother’s eyes up to him. “I don’t really care why you did it. Talking up some random girl isn’t going to bridge anything.”

“Perhaps I could help you with the creatures.” He suggested, “Aerith--”

“Not a chance,” Riku cut him off, leaning the broom against the wall and turning his back on his brother. Shaking his head, he began walking towards the back door of the shop. “Thanks for trying, I guess. But I’m not interested.”

Sephiroth stared after him, before sighing deeply. “Very well. I’m… sorry for the pain I’ve caused since the disappearance…. I won’t pretend that I have been handling any of it well.”

Riku paused at the door, his hand on the knob. He swallowed hard, his chest knotting with a flurry of emotions.

“I’m sorry too,” he muttered, just before opening the door and leaving the shop entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for reading!  
> We'll be getting into Kairi's side of things within the next couple chapters!


	15. Chapter 15

Sora let out a long breath, his arms wrapped around his torso in an attempt to bring himself any semblance of warmth. It was a colder day than usual. Drops of rain pelted the side of the lighthouse, the sound echoing and resonating through the tower. It had rained a few times since Sora had begun staying there, but it was nothing compared to the current storm. He winced from a sudden rumble of thunder that seemed to shake the entire lighthouse and cause ripples through the water. 

He looked to the clouded water, feeling a sudden pang of homesickness. Under the water, he never had to worry about the storms or the bang of thunder. With a soft whine, he lowered himself more in the water. His tail was nearly healed. The stitches had even come out, but he was still nervous about his full mobility, particularly under the waves. He gasped as the water covered his head. There hadn’t been many occasions where he would completely disappear under the surface, mostly because without being able to move his tail, getting back up was nearly impossible. 

Opening his eyes, a sense of calm washed over him. It was familiar, comforting, and reminded him of home. Even with the cloudy, stormy weather outside, streaks of sunlight peeked through the water’s surface. The rays shimmered off of the scales on Sora’s tail and the sea life growing on the walls of the pool. He smiled, swimming further down. His tail was stiff, but it flicked under his command, propelling him further down to where large boulders covered the walls and floor. The sight caused the slightest sink in his heart that there was no sand to nuzzle into. With a sigh, he settled on a rock, leaning back and staring up at the surface up above. He could see the occasional raindrop hit the waves, rippling and distorting the sunlight. 

The rock beneath him began to tilt back and forth, the movement startling him as he yelped and bolted to the other side of the pool. He pushed himself back against the wall of rocks, ready to propel himself back to the surface at a moment’s notice. The rock rolled away, falling to the very bottom of the pool and revealing Kairi as she squirmed through the hole into the enclosure. 

Sora breathed out in relief, a grin pulling at his lips as he exclaimed, “Kairi!!” He swam forward, pulling her into his arms for a spinning hug. “You’ve been gone for ages!”

She half heartedly chuckled in return, letting Sora greet her in his excitable way. When he pulled away, he paused, his grin melting away. 

“Kai…?” He spoke softly, noticing her avert her gaze from his. “Kai, what’s wrong?”

Swallowing hard, she clasped her hands in front of her. “I… I think I know what happened to you.”

Sora blinked, swimming backwards to create some space between them. There was a certain weight to her words, a sense of dread within her tone that made him uneasy. 

“O-Oh yeah?” He asked, mostly trying to fill the silent tension growing between them.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. Sora opened his mouth to press her further, before a splash in the water caught his attention. Both of them jolted back, looking up to see Riku’s legs in the water as he sat along the edge. 

“Sora?” Riku’s voice warbled under the water as he called out from above the surface. 

“Riku--” Sora said his name softly, looking back to Kairi, who still refused to meet his gaze. 

Reaching forward, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her with him as he swam towards the surface. It was slow moving as his tail still struggled to move exactly as he wished it to. Kairi saw his struggle, and flicked her tail, propelling both of them to the surface. Riku startled as they broke through the waves. He looked between them before going to Sora, holding out his hand as a way to help him to the edge. 

Riku talked as Sora settled back into his spot against the crumbled edge. His words were mostly unfamiliar to Sora. Even after studying each other’s languages nearly every day, there was still that barrier between them. Sora tilted his head to the side as Riku’s eyes downcast, his hand slipping from Sora’s grasp. He seemed upset about something. 

“Sora,” Kairi spoke up, her voice meek and quiet. 

He looked between her and Riku, settling on Kairi..

Taking in a breath, she began to explain. “I went back to where we found that trapped dolphin and there were some sea creatures that saw what happened. I talked to all of them and as they told me what they saw, I started remembering bits and pieces… and, I think I figured out what had happened to you.”

“Sora,” Riku said his name softly, getting both of them to look over at him. He had the book of their language in his lap, looking over the contents as he attempted to read it. “Something wrong?”

Sora couldn’t help but smile, placing his hand on Riku’s knee and holding out his other hand for the book. He turned through the pages, finding the words he was looking for. “Kairi knows what happened to me.” He spoke slowly, pointing to the English variation of the words he was saying.

Riku repeated the words to himself, looking up to Kairi with widened eyes and nodding. 

Kairi strained a smile in return before averting her gaze to the cracks between the bricks of the lighthouse and beginning to explain. “When we went to help that dolphin… I don’t think it was trapped on accident.”

“What do you mean?” Sora asked swimming forward as Riku attempted to somewhat keep up by looking through the book. “Why would you think that?”

“Because when we were helping them… a ship showed up.” She explained, her hands tightening along her arms. “A-a pirate ship.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Dad’s always warned me about that happening… saying we shouldn’t leave Aruna.”

“So you think the dolphin was trapped on purpose to get us out there?” Sora asked, feeling sick to his stomach. “Who would do that?”

“Pirates would,” Kairi pointed out. “Most humans would.”

“Riku wouldn’t!” Sora defended, noticing Riku’s head shoot up at the mention of his name. 

“That doesn’t mean that others wouldn’t.” Kairi countered, emotion straining her voice. “You saw how scared they got when that other human showed up. Riku trapped you in here--”

“I’m not trapped, Kai.” Sora cut her off, wrapping his arms around himself. “If it weren’t for Riku, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be anywhere.”

“I… I know…” Kairi admitted, her gaze downcasting to the water’s surface. “I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m scared.”

“It’s alright,” Riku spoke up in their language, making both of them look over. “You--” he looked back down at the book, mumbling to himself as he flipped the pages, “safe here.”

Kairi blinked, her grip on her arms relaxing as she nodded. “Yeah… thank you.”

“See? Not all humans are bad.” Sora smiled softly at Riku. 

“Sora,” Kairi sighed, “You’re not listening to me.”

“I am,” he clarified, looking back to her. “I promise I am, Kairi… I’m scared, too.”

“Do you remember the ship?” She asked him.

“Not really…” He shook his head, scratching behind his neck. “I remember bits and pieces. But I think something happened to make me go unconscious or something. When I woke up, I was on the beach in the same trap that the dolphin was in.”

She nodded, “Yeah… I think I went unconscious too. I remember trying to summon a spell, but the next thing I knew, I was waking up by the coral reef and you were gone.”

“What did the creatures say happened?” He asked. 

“Well, they said that we were freeing the dolphin and as the ship appeared, I…” Her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard. “I screamed and swam away when I saw it…” She sniffled, clearing her throat from the tears straining her throat, “And I just left you behind.” Shaking her head, she stammered, “I-I didn’t mean to Sora… I guess I thought you were right there or that you saw it too. I just got scared and--”

“Kairi,” Sora swam forward, grabbing her shoulders. “Kai, it’s alright.”

“But I can’t believe I’d just abandon you like that!” She cried, burying her face in her hands as the tears finally broke through. 

“Kairi…” He said her name, pulling her into his arms to let her cry into his chest. 

“You stayed there,” she continued to explain, her voice muffled against his chest. “And you saw the ship, but you wouldn’t leave the dolphin behind. But once it got free, it darted away and smacked you with its tail… And that’s when the pirates jumped into the water for you.”

Sora’s arms tightened around her, his cheek against her head as he looked back to Riku. He looked over both of them with worried eyes, only able to understand a few of their words. 

With a sniffle, Kairi pulled back just enough to wipe away her tears and then rested her hands along his chest as she continued. “That’s when I realized you weren’t with me and I came swimming back. The creatures I talked to said I came in with magic glowing around me…” She shook her head with a bitter laugh. “I wish I remembered that. I’ve never been able to summon more than a few snowflakes.”

Sora chuckled, “Maybe that’s why you don’t remember. Mom always said that using magic can make you really tired.”

She glanced up at him, subtly nodding. “That’s true. The creatures said they could hardly see what happened after that. There was a whirlwind and next thing they knew, I was thrown back against the reef, the pirates were gone… and so were you.”

“Kai, if it hadn’t been for you, I might not have even made it to the beach.” Sora pointed out. “Those pirates would have gotten me.”

“I shouldn’t have left you in the first place,” she told him, wiping at her eyes. 

“You were scared,” Riku spoke up. “It happens.”

Sora looked over to him, both of them smiling as their eyes met. 

“He’s picking up our language too fast.” Kairi mumbled, making Sora chuckle. “I wonder how much of that he understood.”

“Makes me really happy.” He told her. 

“You’re hopeless,” she tried to laugh, but the emotion in her throat made her voice crack. She took a deep breath. “Sora… what are we going to do? What if they come back…?”

“I… I don’t know,” he admitted, scratching the spikes of his hair. 

“Lots of pirates here.” Riku told them. 

“Great,” Kairi sighed, shaking her head. “How do we even know how to avoid them? They seemed to know exactly how to get to us. Who were they…?”

Sora’s eyes drifted to the water as he let out a breath. “I have an idea… but I don’t think you’ll like it.”

“What is it?” She asked, looking up at him. 

“If anyone knows about pirates and ships it’s--”

“My dad…” She finished for him, groaning and leaning her head against his chest. 

“He might know who they were.” Sora pointed out.

“Yeah, I know…” She murmured, taking in a deep breath and standing back up straight. “Alright, I’ll-- well, I guess I’ll go talk to him.”

“Sorry, Kai.” He frowned.

Shaking her head, she backed up, “If it means keeping you safe and letting you come home, it’s worth it.”

“You’re the best Kairi.” He smiled.

“Yeah, yeah,” she smiled uneasily back, before looking to Riku. “Take care of him till I get back?”

Riku blinked, taking a moment to figure out her words. With a nod, he assured her. “I will.”


	16. Chapter 16

Schools of shimmering fish parted as Kairi swam through. She could hear their chittering voices all asking each other if she was the missing Princess. Ever since her confrontation with her parents and fleeing her home, she hadn’t been back. When she hadn’t been staying with Sora at the lighthouse, she had hidden away at a remote lagoon. She dreaded having to come back home, but for Sora’s sake, she wouldn’t let her rising anxiety stop her. 

The crystal spires of Aruna sparkled under the rays of sunlight breaking through the water’s surface, greeting Kairi as she swam home. She hid behind a coral rock, seeing guards posted at the main entrance. All it would take was one look at her and she would be taken captive and forced back to the castle. It wouldn’t have been the first time. This time though… being spotted was not an option. 

Backing away, she scanned her eyes over the kingdom. She and Sora had snuck out of Aruna on countless occasions, but she couldn’t say she had much experience sneaking back in. Usually one of her advisors would come and find them, dragging them back to their lives and scolding them of their adventurous spirits. She supposed in some way, they were right… Their yearning for adventure was exactly what got them in this mess in the first place. 

Her eyes paused, spotting an open alleyway that she and Sora had used to sneak away in the dead of night to the same lagoon Kairi was taking refuge in. Giving a short nod to reassure herself, she flicked her tail and propelled towards it. She made sure to stay close to the sand, keeping sea life and coral between her and the line of sight of the guards. 

As she reached the edge of the kingdom, she heard a few hushed gasps, catching her attention to see other Acaiya in the alley and by the windows of their homes, each of them with their eyes on her. 

“Princess,” an older Acaiyan man spoke up, going forward and grabbing her hands. “We worried we lost you.”

She strained a smile, her heart sinking as guilt mixed with her already tightening anxiety. “I--”

“Don’t feel like you have to explain yourself,” another Acaiya spoke up, swimming up beside the man. “We’re just relieved you’re back. But… why are you sneaking in?”

Averting her eyes, she lightly chewed on her bottom lip. “I needed to see my father.”

“King Ansem is in his study.” The man informed her. “His window has remained open since you disappeared.”

“I think he may be expecting you.” The other added. 

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Kairi admitted with a breathy laugh, slipping her hands back from the man. With a polite bow of her head, she told them, “Thank you for your help.” 

Swishing her tail, she floated above them, propelling herself forward until she reached the end of the alleyway. Just before heading out into the streets, she paused, glancing back over her shoulder at the citizens watching her leave.

“Please don’t alert the guards that I’m here.” She spoke softly, pleading. 

“Of course, Princess.” The man assured her. 

“You can count on us.” The other added. 

Rather than reply, she merely smiled in return and continued on her way. The roads were nearly empty as the night was beginning the fall. Even with the cover of darkness, Kairi kept to the walls, her eyes wide and alert as she made her way to the castle. 

The castle itself was a spectacle compared to the rest of the kingdom. Even if Kairi hadn’t been raised there, she would have been able to find it. The gems and crystals in the walls and archways glistened and shined, regardless of the darkness of the night. It lit her way as she approached, going around the back to find the single window to her father’s study. 

A blue light illuminated the windowsill, the glow from a sea lantern her father had invented when she was only a child. Kairi slowed to a stop when she saw it, knowing that the window was open and waiting for her to come. He often left it that way when she was gone, always welcoming her back. If it hadn’t been for his rigid views and obsession with his work, Kairi might have considered herself close to him. Instead, she often felt more like a stranger. 

Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself forward, reaching the sill and seeing the back of her father as he sat at his desk, pouring over the many books he possessed. Her clenched hand went over her heart, the anxiety knotting and making her nearly sick. She looked away, seeing the open ocean out in the distance and feeling the inescapable urge flee to it. 

“You needn’t worry,” her father spoke up, his voice deep and rumbling. “I won’t call the guards.”

Her eyes darted back to him, seeing him still pouring over his books. She swallowed, taking one last look out at the open ocean before she went in through the window. The blue glow of the sea lanterns illuminated the cozy room. Other parts of the castle were regal and extravagant, while the study was the closest thing Kairi would associate anything regarding her family as comforting. 

The lanterns were made of a polished quartz, a spark of magic and elemental potions in the center that made them glow. They were on nearly every surface in the study: on the bookshelves and desks, the top of the window sill and the door frame, leaving no corner of the room in darkness. Kairi’s eyes drifted over them, noticing the trinkets and books piled up beside them. Just looking around had a calming sense on her racing heart. 

Her father didn’t say anything, only the occasional hum of thought or a faint cough as he worked and waited for her to speak. Kairi wasn’t sure what to say, or how to even begin to explain where she had been the past two months while she was sure her mother had been frantically searching for her. If she was in any trouble, her father had yet to acknowledge it as he simply remained silent. 

Seconds passed, then minutes, all the while Kairi’s hands clasped and fidgeted in front of her, until in a scramble, she put her hand behind her back, grabbing the forearm of the other arm. Her fingers tightened their grip as she finally broke the silence. 

“I… found Sora…” She forced the words out, her eyes focused on her father’s back as she studied him for any sort of reaction. “He was trapped… but he was saved and is recovering.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he replied, still not glancing over his shoulder or giving her any sort of bodily response. 

His words did little to ease her anxiety as she tried to figure out how to explain the humans. So much had happened since she was there last, that even she was struggling to come to terms with it. Months prior, she never would have imagined herself trusting, let alone communicating with humans. Yet there she was, trusting them to watch over Sora as she asked for help. 

Taking in a breath, she began the tale. Her voice stuttered and shook, her body stiff and tense until her father gradually turned around in his seat to look at her. His amber eyes remained stoic, but focused, taking in every word she said without a single word of interruption. As she spoke, her voice became clearer. She began pacing back and forth in the study, her tail flicking minutely as she rambled and told him every detail. She wasn’t sure where the words were coming from, but somehow it was relieving to say all of it out loud. As if she were proving to herself that it wasn’t a crazy dream, but a reality she was trying to fix. 

The final words came out, catching him up to the present. She stopped pacing, stopping beside the window and looking out at the quiet kingdom as everyone had gone into their homes for the night. Her father leaned back in his seat, letting out a long breath as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. 

“I know this may come as a surprise to you… but I understand what you are going through.” He spoke up, his eyes downcast to his hands clasped in his lap. 

“You, do?” Kairi looked over her shoulder at him. 

“There once was a time I was similar to how you and Sora are.” He explained. “Recklessly adventuring outside the safety of the kingdom, yearning to know what else was out there just waiting to be discovered.”

A small huff of breath left her, a smile tipping the corner of her lips. “That doesn’t surprise me as much as you might think.” She told him, her gaze drifting over the dozens of books and trinkets piled around his study. She blinked, looking back to him. “What changed…?”

“Many things,” he responded, his hands tightening in his lap. “Creatures outside our realm can be vicious and merciless. Shortly after an-- unfortunate event, I was married to your mother.” Clearing his throat, he looked up towards one of his sea lanterns. “And I became the man you see now.”

Kairi was silent for a beat, trying to take in the information. Part of her wanted to feel at ease, to feel accepted and understood. To see a way to become closer to her father, yet that didn’t excuse the way he had disregarded Sora at the start of everything. 

Her hands clenched at her sides as she reminded him. “I have a hard time believing that when you told me to leave Sora behind. If you were like me, wouldn’t you have done anything to help your friends if they were in danger?”

“There was a time I would have said yes,” he explained, seemingly unphased by her tone of accusation. “However, as King, I do not have the same freedom to roam the ocean as I once did.”

She scoffed, catching herself and taking in a breath to calm down. 

“I never wanted to condemn Sora,” he assured her, “But in the situation, my hands were tied.”

Kairi’s grip tightened along her arm, fighting back to urge to object and prove to him that he was wrong. Instead, she merely nodded, allowing him to move on. 

“That being said…” He sighed heavily, shifting in his seat. “I believe I know the pirate ship you were referring to.” 

She spun around to face him, “You do?”

“There is only one ship I know of that will relentlessly stalk and capture an Acaiya in this fashion… The Superior.”

“The… Superior?” She repeated, the name itself causing shivers to run down her spine. 

It is captained by a vile human, who calls himself Xemnas.” He explained to her, “He and his crew search out stray Acaiya and trap them on their ship.”

“How do you know all of this?” She asked. 

He took in a breath, directing his eyes elsewhere as he replied, “I have had past dealings with them. Long before you were born…”

Kairi blinked, her stomach knotting. “Did they… take someone?”

He simply nodded, making her stomach flip with growing unease. 

“But-- I don’t understand why they would take any of us…” She tried to make sense of it, her hands fidgeting in front of her. “Do they sell us?”

“It is more than the price that makes our kind valuable to them.” He told her, pausing before telling her. “It is our scales and the magic in our veins.” He stood from his seat, swimming over to one of the many bookshelves in his study. His finger traced the shelves, until he found a specific book and flipped through the pages. Settling on a certain diagram, he explained, “You, along with the other women of our kind can wield magic, while the men have it passively inside, affecting their daily lives.”

“I know that,” she told him, running her hands over her arms as she pieced it together. “Are… are you trying to say that they wanted to capture Sora for the magic in his veins…?”

“I know it is difficult to hear, but.. Yes.” He nodded, showing her the open book and an illustration on its pages of a crew of pirates glowing with an unnatural magical energy with empty goblets and bottles with blue liquid scattered across the deck. 

Kairi backed up, turning away from the book as she nearly gagged. She brought her hand to her mouth, her mind reeling at what would have happened to Sora if he hadn’t been found by Riku. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back, sucking in a sharp breath to reel in her panic. 

“They have succeeded in the past.” He continued, flipping through more pages in the book. “I have no doubt that their success in gathering the magic from Acaiyan males is precisely why they have survived so long.”

“It’s… It’s disgusting…” She strained the words, thanking every deity and spirit she knew of for keeping Sora alive and out of the hands of the pirates. Shaking her head, she swam towards the window, “I have to tell Sora.”

“Kairi,” he said her name, closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. As she paused, he let out a breath. “If the Superior has failed once, they will no doubt try again.”

She looked over her shoulder at him, eyes wide and gleamed with tears. 

“It is possible they know where Sora is,” he informed her. “Or, if they do not yet, they may very well be following you in order to find out. So please… be careful.”

Her lips parted to reply, her words drying in her throat. Instead, she managed a single nod, before turning and swimming away, escaping into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnn
> 
> Starting to really pick up here! I only have a few more chapters prepared for the Big Bang, but more is being worked on to post afterwards. It shouldn't be too much more once everything starts picking up. 
> 
> But I wanted to thank everyone that has taken the time to read everything so far. I really, truly appreciate it.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The harsh winds of the outside storm crashed against the side of the lighthouse, the sound of it whistling through the cracks in the brick. Occasional raindrops snuck in, sprinkling over the pool of water and Sora as he nestled against Riku’s chest, fast asleep. Riku tried to stay awake, his eyelids heavy and closing every few seconds. The bottom half of his body was in the water as waves lapped against his sides and arms. He knew he should head to his own bed upstairs, but he couldn’t leave Sora alone. 

Ever since Kairi had left to speak with her father, Sora had been antsy. He circled the pool, diving down every few minutes to see if there was any sign of her returning. Nothing Riku said calmed him down, until he eventually pulled Sora into his arms. He could feel Sora’s heart pounding, the tension in his body, but it all melted away the longer Riku held him there. Before he knew it, Sora’s breaths had evened out. 

Riku wasn’t even sure if he was asleep or not, but he wasn’t about to attempt to leave. He couldn’t exactly blame Sora for being uneasy. If he was honest with himself, he was worried about it, too. Sucking in a breath, he nuzzled his nose in the spikes of Sora’s hair. There was something comforting about having him there in his arms, something that made everything else happening not seem so bad. He relaxed, his eyes fluttering closed and remaining that way as he allowed the tension inside of him to fade away. 

“Riku… warm,” Sora murmured in his sleep, nuzzling his face further against him. 

A soft chuckle rumbled in his chest as Riku held him closer. “Yeah, well you’re freezing. I don’t know how you can stand the water all the time.”

Sora hummed, turning into a yawn as his arms wrapped around Riku’s torso. A warmth filled the tips of Riku’s ears, a smile curved his lips even as he kept his face hidden in Sora’s hair. He knew the situation was dire and uncertain, but having Sora there with him, holding him in his arms, he didn’t think he’d trade it for the world. 

A splash in the water startled both of them out of their sleepy trance. Riku’s head shot up, seeing Kairi emerge from the water. He could barely make out her face from the dim glow of the lantern beside the pool, but he could hear her labored breaths and the occasional sniffle. 

“Kairi,” Sora pulled back from Riku, turning to face her. 

The moment Sora’s hands went to her shoulders, she broke and blurted out everything she had learned from her father. Tears riddled her voice that was already trembling. Sora simply listened, remaining silent as he heard her tale. Riku understood a few of the words, recognizing them from when she had retold the events leading to Sora becoming trapped. Something about pirates and magic, but all Riku really knew was that something was very wrong. 

The moment Kairi was finished, Sora pulled her into his arms, allowing her to cry against his shoulder as she clung to him as a lifeline. Her words were broken, along with her spirit. Sora glanced over at Riku, the worry plain in his eyes, even with the dim light of the lantern. 

Riku’s heart tightened, his hands clenched in his lap. Whatever she had found out, the news hadn’t been what either of them wanted to hear. Taking in a breath, he asked, “Sora, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Sora’s lips spread into a thin line, his eyes drifting elsewhere as he tried to figure out the words to say. “Pirates…” he spoke slowly, looking back to Riku. “Come back... for Sora.”

“Come back?” Riku repeated, his eyes widening. “But, how can you be sure? How would they know where you are?”

He looked back to Sora, seeing the lost confusion in his eyes. They both had come a long way to learn the other’s language, but that barrier was still noticeably present. Riku sighed, running his hand through his hair as he moved to stand. 

“We need help…” He admitted, looking towards the door leading out of the lighthouse. His hand clenched tight at his side, looking down when he felt Sora’s hand along his leg, loosely gripping his ankle. He strained a smile, but couldn’t hold the expression. “I’ll be back.”

“Riku?” Sora asked, watching as Riku walked away, heading up the spiral staircase to leave the lighthouse. 

“It’s alright,” Riku glanced back at them as he reached the door. He looked between Sora and Kairi, “I’ll protect you both. I promise.”

He turned away from their worried, questioning eyes, opening the door to the outside storm and leaving them behind. The icy winds swirled around him, making him shield his face with his arms as he ran past the beach to head into town. He used the alleyways between the shops to shield the wind and the stray sand flying in its current. The same way his brother would often insist he take home but would always ignore. If Riku wasn’t in such a panicked rush, he was sure he would have found some humor in it. Instead, he pushed himself forward, sprinting and ignoring the pelting rain on his back until he reached his home. 

He rummaged through his pockets for the key, cursing under his breath that he had left it back at the lighthouse. Lifting his hands, he began banging on the worn wood of the door. 

“Hey! HEY!” He yelled through the storm, “It’s me! Let me in!”

There was no reply. Just a dark house staring back at him. Letting out a breath, he leaned his head forward, his hand flat against the door. It’s not like he could blame them for ignoring his calls-- if they could even hear him over the wind. He couldn’t remember the last time he had really been home. It had been weeks, maybe even a month since he had slept in his own bed. 

Namine regularly begged him to come home, to make an effort to reconnect with their brother. Riku hadn’t been interested, never had a reason to be. But right then, being left outside in the storm without a way in… he realized how much of it was him isolating himself. 

“Please!” He tried again, his voice strained as he half heartedly hit the door. “Just let me in.”

Thunder rumbled around him, rain pounding against the house and the ground, all of it masking the rattle of the door as it was hastily unlocked. Riku’s heart lodged into his throat as the door swung open, revealing Sephiroth in the doorway. Their gazes met, both of them tired and hesitant to see the other. They stood there for a moment, Riku’s eyes diverting away until Sephiroth broke the tension between them. 

“Come in,” he stepped back, opening the door wider.

Riku took the invitation, escaping the raging storm and finally coming back home. The lump in his throat throbbed as he passed the threshold, his eyes drifting over the darkened living room while Sephiroth closed the door behind him. 

The patter of raindrops hitting the rooftop echoed through the dark home, along with the droplets of water that dripped from Riku’s drenched clothes and pooled on the hardwood floor. He shivered, the cold of the storm settling in as he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to formulate the words to say to his brother. 

“I know you don’t want to see me,” Riku forced himself to speak up, his eyes slipping shut as he heard Sephiroth’s footsteps. “I--- didn’t know where else to go.”

A long stretch of silence lingered between them, until the flickering of flames caught Riku’s attention. His eyes opened to see Sephiroth knelt beside the fireplace, kindling the newly formed flames. Sephiroth caught his gaze, standing and motioning his hand towards the couch. 

Riku looked down at his soaked clothes, but nodded regardless. With small steps, he made his way over to the couch closest to the fire and sat along the edge. His hands fidgeted in his lap, his eyes focused on the glowing embers in the wood and the shimmering sparks that went in and out of existence. 

“What’s happened?” Sephiroth asked, his sudden, straight to the point question causing Riku to tense. 

He bit his tongue, swallowing the urge to respond curtly. Taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out, he explained. “It’s Sora… He’s---He’s in trouble.”

Before Sephiroth could respond, his bedroom door creaked open, drawing Riku’s attention. 

“Seph,” Aerith stepped out of the bedroom, amidst a yawn as she stretched her arms. “Is everything alright?”

Riku blinked, his gaze going to his brother when he cleared his throat. 

“Yes, of course Aerith,” Sephiroth turned towards her, his voice soft in a way Riku had never heard before. 

“Riku,” Aerith whispered, noticing him along the couch. She came closer to him, sitting beside him with her hand on his shoulder. “Is everything alright? You must be freezing.”

She looked around, grabbing a quilt hanging off the back of the couch and wrapped it around his shoulders. He grabbed the edges of it, pulling it closer and nodding his thanks towards her. Aerith smiled sweetly in return, her eyes darting back to Sephiroth, wordlessly expressing how worried she was about Riku. Rather than speak up about it, she gave Riku’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, before standing up from the couch. 

“I don’t want to intrude,” She spoke softly, straightening the front of her night gown, “I’ll head back to bed to give you some privacy.”

“I need your help,” Riku blurted out the words, causing both Aerith and Sephiroth to dart their eyes to him. “Sora needs your help.”

Aerith looked back to Sephiroth, before turning her attention to Riku. “Sora?”

“He’s an Aicaya,” Riku confessed, bringing his eyes up to see hers widen as her hand went over her mouth. Her shock was enough to make Riku’s stomach knot as he realized there was no taking back the information he was about to share. Looking back to the flames, he took in a breath and explained. 

He started from the beginning, retelling the tale of discovering Sora trapped on the beach. How he and Namine had rescued him and carried him back to the abandoned lighthouse. Every detail he told, Aerith listened intently, going back to the couch and sitting beside Riku to hold on to each word he said. Sephiroth looked between the two, hearing Riku’s story along with the concerned, yet understanding expression on Aerith’s face. His stoic stance rested, his shoulders loosening as he leaned back against the mantle. Even with the uncertain circumstances, his heart was relieved to have Riku back home with his family. 

“That’s… incredible…” Aerith managed the words out once Riku had finished. “And, terrible…” She looked towards the fireplace, “Sephiroth, did you know about this?”

Sephiroth cleared his throat as he stood back up straight and nodded. “I did.”

Aerith stood from her seat, going to him as she laughed softly. “So that explains why you came to my shop.”

He let out a soft breath of amusement, “Yes, but I’ll admit I didn’t know at the time that you would be there.”

She smiled in return, her eyes drifting towards the fireplace. “I do wish you had told me sooner, but--” she looked over her shoulder at Riku, “I understand why you didn’t.” Taking in a breath, she turned around to face Riku, her palms pressed together in front of her. “Riku, do you think you could take us to see Sora and Kairi, tomorrow morning? I might be able to to speak with them and fill in the pieces you weren’t able to understand.”

Riku swallowed, nodding and pulling the quilt closer around his body. His eyes were sullen, empty from exhaustion and worry. He barely heard a word they said to each other after he had finished retelling his tale. Getting all of it out had been more taxing on him than he had expected. The more he spoke, the more his body realized how long he had gone without sleeping in an actual bed, or seen anyone outside of the lighthouse. 

“Your bed is still made up.” Sephiroth’s words cut through the bogged haze in his mind. “You’re welcome to it.”

“Not until after you’ve taken a nice hot shower though.” Aerith cut in, going to Riku and pulling him to stand. 

He didn’t object to her touching him or telling him what to do. In a way, there was something comforting about it. Instead, he strained a tired smile, nodding and following her instructions. As he passed Sephiroth, their eyes met. Sephiroth nodded towards him, getting a nod in return as Riku disappeared down the hall.


	18. Chapter 18

Sephiroth stood near the top of the wooden stairwell, listening to the chatter from the others that were down beside the pool. Their voices mixed with the lapping of the water along the edge and the crash of the waves against the worn brick of the lighthouse. It had been months since Sephiroth had spent more than a few fleeting moments inside the structure, but it wasn’t unfamiliar to him by any means. His blue eyes followed the splintered stairwell that led higher up, able to make out blankets and supplies through the cracks in the wood, where Riku had created his makeshift home. Imagining Riku attempting to sleep up there, wrapped up in the blankets, but unable to fully keep out the chill of the air, it caused a peculiar pang in his chest. 

He averted his gaze back towards the lower levels of the lighthouse, where everyone else was gathered. Aerith was knelt beside the edge of the pool, her journal of the Aicayan language opened in her hands as she spoke with Sora and Kairi. It had been difficult to get her to sleep after Riku had told them his tale. She couldn’t quite believe that she was actually about to meet an Aicayan for the first time. Seeing her down there conversing with them, Sephiroth would have thought she had known them her entire life. 

The two creatures had hidden when they had arrived that morning, only calming once Namine and Riku assured them they were there to help. Aerith had wasted no time in trying to talk to them and the memory of their expressions at hearing her use their language caused the slightest smile to curve Sephiroth’s lips. They teased her at her poor pronunciation, and everyone became comfortable in the other’s company. 

All except for Sephiroth.

He remained by the door, listening to Aerith confirm the story they had heard from Riku the night before and filling in the blanks he hadn’t understood. Namine and Riku sat along the edge of the pool, both of them relaxed in a way Sephiroth had never seen. Two people entered their lives for a mere matter of months, and they had reached a point of familiarity that he had never been able to breech with them. 

Turning his attention away, he considered leaving the lighthouse entirely, until he heard Aerith say something familiar.

“The Superior?” She translated what Kairi told her. “Are you sure that was the ship?”

Sephiroth turned back, catching Aerith glancing his way with a worried look in her eyes. She looked back to Kairi, realizing she didn’t understand what she had said. Flipping through the pages of her journal, Aerith found the correct words and recited them in Aicayan. When Kairi and Sora nodded in agreement, Aerith sighed as she closed her journal. 

“Do you recognize that ship, Aerith?” Namine asked.

“I do, unfortunately,” Aerith admitted, laying her journal on her lap as she traced her fingertips along the binding. 

“Riku,” Sephiroth’s voice startled the group, spare for Aerith. 

He looked up at him, brows furrowed in confusion. “What?” 

Without replying, Sephiroth motioned his head towards the door. Riku looked between Sora and his brother, before sighing heavily and getting up. When Sora asked where he was going, he assured him he’d be back. 

“What is it?” He asked with a hushed voice, glancing back at the group.

“Why are you doing this?” Sephiroth asked him, his voice low, yet soft. 

“What do you mean?” He crossed his arms. “Do you know the ship, too?” 

“Why are you going through such lengths to protect them?” He clarified, keeping his back to the group as he spoke and glazing over the second question.

Riku opened and closed his mouth, his brows knitted together. “Why wouldn’t I?” He glanced back at Sora, his hardened expression softening. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Sephiroth looked over at him, following Riku’s gaze towards Sora. With a huff of breath, he smirked to himself. “So that’s it then.”

“Huh?” Riku looked back up at him. 

Without explaining, Sephiroth went towards the door. “Come with me.”

Riku’s gaze darted between his brother and Sora, who was watching him with questioning eyes. Sending him a small wave and a reassuring smile, he turned and followed after Sephiroth. Icy wind greeted them the moment they came back outside, but it wasn’t anywhere near as rigid as the night before. Riku followed close behind Sephiroth, chewing the inside of his cheek as he tried to figure out what to say. 

“Where are we going?” He broke the silence between them as he realized they were heading into town.

“I know someone that might be able to help.” Sephiroth explained plainly. 

Riku thought about it for a moment, before scoffing. “It’s those pirate friends of yours, isn't it?”

“Friend is a loose term for them, but yes.” He clarified, “They’ve been hunting The Superior for years. If anyone is going to know how to stop them, it will be them.”

“If they find out about Sora--”

“They won’t,” Sephiroth cut him off, coming to a stop at the edge of the town. 

The music from the pub could already be heard from where they stood. It always was the most lively place in Dorhaven that attracted pirates and fishermen alike. 

“I promise, they won’t,” Sephiroth added, looking over as Riku came to a stop beside him. “When we arrive, allow me to do the talking.”

Riku looked back at him, before averting his gaze towards the town. “Why are you helping me?”

Sephiroth took in a breath, “As Namine would say, that’s what family does.”

A soft chuckle came from Riku. “That sounds like something she’d say.”

“Indeed it does,” a breath of amusement slipped past his lips as he looked back forward. “If nothing else, this is an opportunity for me to bridge the gap between us.”

Riku tensed, his smile falling. Part of him wanted to snap back in reply that there was no way of fixing what he had broken. So much had happened since their parents had disappeared, he couldn’t blame Sephiroth for handling it badly. It wasn’t as if Riku had handled it particularly well, either. 

Swallowing the resentment, he instead nodded and continued onwards. “We better get moving.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning of Language**

Uproarious laughter and yells filled the tavern, overshadowing the melodies of the instruments that played for its drunken audience. A massive, round furnace stood in the center of the pub, brick surrounding the glowing embers as food roasted above it. The smoky, savory scents mixed with the overwhelming tang of alcohol that permeated through the air. Riku stayed close to Sephiroth, his eyes scanning over the chaos around him. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, the tavern was always filled with company.

“Over here,” Sephiroth leaned down to make sure Rku could hear him as he pointed towards a back corner of the pub. 

Riku followed the motion, his gaze landing on a woman lounged back in a seat. There was nothing noticeable about the chair in and of itself, but the way the woman held herself and gazed over the rest of the patrons in the tavern as if they were beneath her, Riku would have mistaken it for a throne. Her eyes were a bright, venomous green, contrasting her fair skin and the slicked back blonde hair that stuck out from under her leather hat. 

“Her…?” Riku asked hesitantly, glancing up to see Sephiroth nod.

“Her name is Elrena,” he explained, “Captain of the Savage Nymph.”

A bottle of ale hung between Elrena’s fingers, the liquid sloshing around with every move she made. She snidely remarked at the men that sat around her, a leering smirk across her lips when they would falter or fail to come back at her with a remark of their own. 

Then her eyes lifted and landed on Sephiroth. 

“Sephiroth, you slimy bastard,” she exclaimed, sitting up and uncrossing her legs as her smirk grew into a grin. Lifting her bottle of ale, she asked, “What brings you to this shithole?”

“Back already?” Another voice remarked, an older man with long blonde hair and sullen green eyes. His brow quirked up at Riku and Sephiroth. “I had thought you had long outgrown your pirate fantasies-- as you put it.”

Sephiroth sighed, standing taller as he explained, “I’m here to call in a favor.”

Elrena’s eyes narrowed as the men around her uproared in laughter. Sephiroth never broke her gaze, awaiting her reaction until one of the men with combed back dirty blonde hair spoke up with a drunken, slurred voice. 

“You think yoou can j’st cme back here ‘nd ask for stuff?” The man snipped, tripping over himself as he stumbled forward. “Piss off, man!”

“Shut the hell up, Demyx.” Elrena put up her hand, the men falling silent as she sighed and leaned back in her seat. 

She bit her lip as she looked Sephiroth over, sloshing her drink around in its bottle while she mulled over his request. Her gaze drifted over to Riku, a spark of amusement appearing in her eyes as she burst out into her own shrill laugh that caused Riku to tense. 

“Don’t tell me this has to do with pipsqueak here.” She motioned her drink towards Riku. 

“Not completely,” Sephiroth calmly responded, none of their reactions hazing him as he leaned forward, placing his hands along the back of an empty chair in front of him. “I feel like I have done more than enough to have at least earned you hearing me out.”

Riku’s eyes darted away from the pirates towards his brother, earning a wistful sigh from Elrena. 

“You take your brother all the way here and you don’t even bother telling him about us?” She asked with a teasing, almost demeaning tone. 

Sephiroth’s grip tightened along the chair. “It wasn’t necessary information.”

“Hmm,” she hummed, her smirk growing as she brought her gaze over to Riku. “What do you think, Kid?”

“It’s Riku,” he corrected her, following in Sephiroth’s example and trying to seem unphased by the way the pirates were eyeing him.

Her hand went up in fake surrender, “Well excuse me then, Riku.”

“Elrena,” Sephiroth said her name, catching her attention. 

With another wistful sigh, she rolled her head along her shoulders. “Fine, sit, tell me how I can fix your miserable life.”

Sephiroth took the invitation, sitting down in the seat in front of him and placing his hands along the table. The entire crew of pirates awaited his plea, drinking their ale and eyeing Riku standing behind him. Riku kept his gaze fitted on his brother, wondering what he could have done to warrant favors and resentment from the crew. 

“There have been sightings of The Superior.” He cut straight to the point, giving the men a chance to murmur amongst themselves before continuing. “They are nearing our shores.”

“How can you be certain?” The blonde man asked.

“Let the man finish, Vexen.” Elrena put up her hand to silence him. 

“They are searching for something.” Sephiroth told them. “Something they know is here.”

Elrena chuckled, “And let me guess, whatever this something is, you need protected.”

“In a way, yes.” Sephiroth nodded, getting a scoff in response from Vexen as Demyx stared off in the distance, too drunk to realize what was being discussed. 

“Even if you are certain they will be here, we’re hardly equipped to go against them.” Vexen pointed out. “There is a reason we’ve evaded them for so many years.”

Elrena flinched at his words, her eyes sliding shut as the other crew members began joining in on the argument. Their voices raised and talked over the other, each of them grating on her thinning nerves.

“Enough!” She yelled, slamming her hand against the top of the table as she stood. “All of you, shut up!”

The entire tavern quieted from her outburst, the music starting back up after a moment of startled silence. The crew remained quiet, silently awaiting her words as the rest of the patrons went back to their drunken conversations. 

“We are not hiding,” she began, glaring over at Vexen and pointedly looking to each member of her crew. “I formed this crew from nothing. As far as The Superior is concerned, we’re dead. And until we’re ready to destroy their fucking ship, I sure as hell expect to keep it that way.” 

“Why can’t you?” Riku asked, arms crossed as he feigned indifference when the crew darted their gazes to him. Deep down, his heart pounded and twisted with uneasiness, but he didn’t dare show a hint of it on his face. “You’re pirates, aren’t you? Isn’t that what you do?”

Elrena’s brows knitted together as her lips spread into a thin line, before her shoulders began to shake and the same shrill laugh escaped out of her. The rest of the crew joined in as Sephiroth leaned back in his seat and sighed. 

“Oh Riku, I think I like you.” Elrena’s voice was still riddled with laughter as she wiped away a tear from her eyes. “You have no idea what a pirate really is, do you?”

“And even if that were the case,” a broad shouldered man with wiry red hair stepped forward from behind Vexen. “The Superior is no ordinary ship.”

“Lexaeus is correct,” a younger man just a few years older than Riku agreed. His dull blue hair hung over his eyes as he closed a book he had been reading amidst the debate. “The ship and its crew are hardly what one might consider human, let alone what you would classify as a pirate.”

Riku looked away, the anxiety already swirling in his gut tightening and making it difficult to breath. It was hard enough to think of an ordinary pirate crew being after Sora. He swallowed hard, glancing over to Sephiroth when he heard him clear his throat. 

“Whether or not you plan on keeping out of their sight, the fact remains that they will be on these shores in a matter of days.” Sephiroth pointed out, lacing his hands in front of him on the table, his gaze settled on Elrena’s. “Your choice is to remain here in wait, or meet them out at sea.”

“Or we could slip away unnoticed due to your information of their impending arrival.” Vexen suggested.

“Wouldn’t that be the same as running away and hiding?” Riku asked, unsure why he was challenging them when he had no idea what they would be up against. 

“Yes, yes it would,” the blue haired teen agreed, looking to Riku with an amused expression.

“The agreement is hardly necessary, Zexion.” Vexen grumbled under his breath. “My point remains that we are in no condition to face The Superior.”

“What if I could guarantee your success?” Sephiroth asked, glancing up towards Riku who was just as bewildered at that prospect as the crew. 

“And how exactly can you promise that?” Elrena asked, her hand placed firmly on her hip. “Been hiding a magic wand in that hair of yours?”

“Not exactly,” Sephiroth chuckled lightly. “It’s not something I can discuss in detail.”

Elrena blew out a breath, falling back into her seat and leaning back. Crossing her legs, she swigged back her drink, taking in the rest of the contents before tossing away the bottle. 

“What’s in it for me?” She asked, her brow quirking up. 

“Captain,” Vexen objected, “You can’t seriously--”

“Can it,” she pointed to Vexen, getting him to immediately fall silent as she motioned towards Sephiroth to continue. 

“Other than being able to exact your revenge, your debt with me will be wiped free.” Sephiroth explained, his expression straight and focused. 

Elrena hummed, holding out her hand as another fresh bottle of ale was placed in her grasp. Taking another drink, she let out a breath. “You’re really willing to cut out everything we owe over this?”

“Yes,” he replied simply.

“Damn,” she sighed, taking one last drink before placing the bottle onto the table. She glanced up at Riku, the corner of her lips tipping into a smirk. “I’ll accept under one condition.”

“And that is?” Sephiroth asked. 

“You and your little pipsqueak come, too.” She pointed to him and Riku. 

Sephiroth’s expression hardened as he stood from his seat. “I can’t accept that.”

“Oh, so it’s fine for us to risk our lives and take on this little mission,”she asked, scoffing. “Months ago, you would have been begging for a chance like this.”

“Things have changed since then.” Sephiroth told her, turning towards Riku and seeing the confused look in his eyes. Letting out a breath, he hung his head forward. “I will reconsider the deal, if I’m the only one that has to come along.”

“What?” Riku’s eyes widened. 

“Son of a bitch,” Elrena laughed, clapping her hands together before holding one out. “Welcome aboard.”

Sephiroth reached forward to grab her hand until Riku gripped his forearm and tugged him back. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Riku demanded. “You’re seriously going with them?”

Sephiroth looked back to the Elrena, who was more than happy to allow them their discussion as she sat down and got back to drinking her ale. 

“It’s the only way.” Sephiroth explained. 

“No, we’ll find something else.” Riku shook his head. “I’m not letting you get yourself killed over this.”

Sephiroth looked back at him, his brow quirking up. “You expect so little of me?”

“Of course not, I--” he looked back to his brother, noticing the slightest smirk of amusement on his lips. Letting out a breath, he averted his gaze. “This isn’t supposed to even be your business in the first place. And after everything since mom and dad left---” his voice trailed off as he shook his head. “The point is that you don’t need to go this far.”

“Riku,” he placed his hand on his shoulder, giving him a firm squeeze. “I need you to trust me.”

His brows furrowed as he looked back to Sephiroth. “If you’re going, I am too.”

“No, you’re not.” Sephiroth objected firmly. 

“This isn’t your fight, it’s mine.” Riku pointed out, shoving his brother’s hand off of his shoulder. “I’m not about to sit back and let you fight it for me.”

“Sooo you in, or not?” Elrena cut in, causing the brothers to look over at her still lounging in her seat. 

Riku looked back to Sephiroth, before walking towards Elrena and holding out his hand. Her smirk grew as she took his hand in hers and shook it. He returned her smirk, telling her the decision.

“We’re in.”


	20. Chapter 20

Riku’s grip tightened over the strap to his bag slung over his shoulder. Salty wind whistled past him, ruffling his hair and clothes as he stared out at the worn pier where The Savage Nymph was awaiting his arrival. Only hours had passed since the meeting in the tavern. The moment after Riku had signed his life away to the pirate crew, everything had been a blur. Sephiroth hadn’t been too thrilled with Riku agreeing to the Captain’s conditions, but since the deal had been struck, he was helpless to fight it. Instead, he ushered Riku home to pack his things. 

He went alone, Sephiroth telling him he would inform the others of what they were about to do and meet him back at the pier. Part of him wished he could have been the one to go back to the lighthouse, but having to face the reactions to his choice was something he was thankful to avoid. He wondered what they would say about it, how much Namine would object and even moreso, how Sora would take it. The thought of Sora caused his chest to tighten further and Riku shoved away the thought, taking in a deep breath of the ocean breeze. 

This was the right thing to do. 

He could see the pirates preparing the ship, a young man among them that Riku couldn’t recognize as part of the crew he met in the tavern. He was tall and slender, with pale, pink hair tied back with twine. Captain Elrena stood just a few feet from him, lounging as she watched him give orders to the crew. 

“Watch out,” a deep voice cut through Riku’s thoughts. He looked over to see Lexaeus walking towards him with a drunken Demyx slung over his shoulder that whined and kicked like a child being taken away from playtime all too soon. 

Riku stepped back, allowing them to pass by onto the pier. Zexion was following close behind, his book tucked under his arm.

“You’ll have to excuse Demyx,” Zexion explained in passing. “He isn’t always a drunken idiot.”

“Zexyyyy, that’s so meeean.” Demyx wailed, eliciting a drawn out sigh from Zexion. 

He sent Riku a small wave and a half smile, which Riku reciprocated as he watched the trio go further down the pier towards the ship. There wasn’t too much Riku knew about pirates, other than the stories he had heard growing up and the few he’d seen in passing, but this crew wasn’t anything like he expected them to be. 

“Riku,” Sephiroth caught his attention, coming to a stop beside him. “I assume everything is packed?”

With a nod, Riku held out the bag that was slung over his shoulder, remaining silent as Sephiroth took it and rummaged through its contents. Breathing in, he looked out along the beach, able to make out the silhouette of the lighthouse through the fog.

“How did they take it?” He asked, looking back to Sephiroth.

“About as expected.” Sephiroth explained, satisfied with the contents of the bag and placing it over his shoulder. “Namine wished to know what was going through our heads.”

Riku huffed with amusement, despite the way his stomach knotted. “And the others?”

“Aerith explained it to them.” He told him, walking towards the pier and making Riku follow suit. “Everything’s taken care of.”

He was unsatisfied with that explanation, but gave up on prying for more information. Instead, Riku nodded, staring at the ship as they came closer and closer to it. Before they were within earshot of the crew, he paused, coming to a stop and causing his brother to do the same. 

“Having second thoughts?” Sephiroth asked him, looking over his shoulder.

“You said you could guarantee success.” Riku recalled, his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the ship and then at his brother. “How?”

Sephiroth glanced up at the crew as he turned around completely to face Riku. “I assure you, it’s all taken care of.”

Riku’s nose crinkled at the obvious coverup. “You don’t trust me?”

“I trust you,” he assured him, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Your friends will take care of it.”

“My--- friends?” Riku repeated, trying to figure out what he meant as Sephiroth left him and boarded the ship.

“Hey Pipsqueak,” Elrena called down to him, leaning against the ship’s railing. “If you aren’t on board in five seconds, I’m leaving you behind.” 

Riku took in a deep breath, taking one last look towards the lighthouse before hurrying up onto the ship. The crew scurried along the deck, working like a well oiled machine as the sails were readied and unfurled. Riku was pushed and bumped into by a few men, before escaping to the railing to stay out of the way. He stared out at the ocean’s horizon, hearing the call of seagulls as they dove into the water for a meal.

He could hear the crew muttering and talking amongst each other as they worked, each of them with things to say about the two passengers aboard. Vexen was the most vocal about his displeasure in the plan, even if his complaints fell on deaf ears. The pink haired man, or who Riku had heard referred to as Lauriam, attempted to quell Vexen’s concerns. His voice was so soft and level, Riku had difficulties understanding what he was saying. Not that his assurances would have helped calm the anxiety swirling inside his gut. 

Sephiroth settled in beside him at the railing, just as the ship was setting sail. Riku’s grip along the rail tightened as the ship rocked along the waves of the water. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. 

“You’ll get used to it,” Sephiroth assured him, resting along the railing and taking in a deep breath. “I can’t remember the last time I was out at sea.”

Riku glanced over at him, unsure if he wanted Sephiroth as far away from him as possible, or to cling to him as the only thing that remained familiar. Looking back out at the waves, he resigned to remaining silent.

“I have something for you.” Sephiroth told him with a hushed voice, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a silver chained necklace.

“What is it?” Riku asked, his gaze wandering over the silver chain at the crown pendant attached to it. 

“It’s Sora’s,” Sephiroth told him, making Riku’s eyes dart up to his. “He asked me to give it to you before I left.”

“He -- did…?” Riku reached forward, carefully picking up the necklace as his heart skipped. “I’ve never seen him with it before.” 

When Sephiroth didn’t respond, he clipped the clasps of the chain together, allowing the cool metal to rest above his collarbone. His fingers traced the crown pendant, his thoughts drifting to Sora as he felt the sudden urge to see him and say goodbye. Swallowing the thought, Riku’s hand wrapped around the pendant completely. 

“Thanks,” he muttered under his breath, looking back out at the sea. 

“Of course,” Sephiroth nodded, turning away and leaving Riku alone with his thoughts.

**Author's Note:**

> **Author's Note: Thank you so much for taking the time to read Aicaya! This is a story I wrote for the Kingdom Hearts Big Bang event (kh-rogue-nebula) on Tumblr. The entire thing is already written and will be posted chapter by chapter on a schedule. The cover art is by Jirachi (chibijirachiwish on Tumblr), who was my art partner in the Big Bang event!
> 
> I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Have a lovely week!**


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